Santiago: A powerful earthquake has struck off the central coast of Chile, killing at least five people, triggering the evacuation of one million others and sparking a tsunami that flooded roads in some coastal cities. The quake shook buildings in the capital city of Santiago, about 280 km (175 miles) to the south, and flooded some coastal areas under a tsunami warning.
President Michelle Bachelet said she planned to travel to the areas worst affected by the quake, the biggest to hit the world`s top copper producer since 2010. Once again we`re having to deal with another harsh blow from nature,” Bachelet said in a televised statement.
Television images showed panicked people gathered in streets lined with damaged buildings, while big waves flooded roads in some cities along the coast. Operations were suspended at two major copper mines operated by Codelco and Antofagasta PLC that generate annual capacity of more than 600,000 tonnes.
The quake also damaged homes, buildings and injured several people and was felt as far away as Buenos Aires in Argentina. Frequent aftershocks continued to shake the country. Tsunami advisories were issued for parts of South America, Hawaii, California and French Polynesia, although waves are generally expected to be small.
State copper miner Codelco said it had suspended mining operations at its Andina mine and had evacuated workers from its Ventanas smelter. Antofagasta said it had halted operations at its flagship Los Pelambres copper mine and would wait until daybreak to assess damage. Chile, which runs along a highly seismic and volcanic zone where tectonic plates meet, is no stranger to earthquakes.
In 2014, an 8.2-magnitude quake struck near the northern city of Iquique, and four years earlier an 8.8-magnitude earthquake in central-southern Chile triggered a massive tsunami, and more than 500 people were killed.
In the hours following that quake, President Bachelet and other government officials misjudged the extent of damage and declined offers of international aid. That delayed the flow of assistance to disaster areas, leaving many survivors feeling they had been abandoned by the government.
Compounding matters, the Chilean navy`s catastrophe-alert system failed to warn the population of impending tsunamis, leaving hundreds who survived the initial quake to be engulfed by massive waves that followed. Bachelet´s government was also slow to prevent looting following the quake.
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply