Thread: Chile quake sparks tsunami, downs buildings

President: 8.8-magnitude temblor kills at least 6, more deaths possible

SANTIAGO, Chile - A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake capable of tremendous damage struck central Chile early Saturday, shaking the capital for a minute and a half, collapsing buildings and setting off a tsunami.

President Michelle Bachelet said six people were killed and that more deaths were possible. Telephone and power lines were down, making a quick assessment of the damage difficult in the early morning darkness.

8.8-magnitude earthquake hits Chile - Americas- msnbc.com

Powerful earthquake rattles Chile; tsunami warning issued - CNN.com

BREAKING NEWS — A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake capable of tremendous damage struck central Chile early Saturday, shaking the capital for a minute and a half and setting off a tsunami.

Two to four foot waves reportedly were generated from the tsunami.

Buildings collapsed and phone lines and electricity were down, making the extent of the damage difficult to determine. Chilean radio reported at least 17 people were killed.

Massive Magnitude 8.8 Quake Hits Chile, Killing at Least 17 - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

After Haiti, we have a quake in Chile, which is a little more powerful than the quake in Haiti. It occurred about 1:34 AM EST today.

Death toll reportedly at 76 and rising.

It hasrien to 147

Tsunami expected to arrive Hawaii 11 am Hawaii time, or 4 PM eastern time

Hawaii largely unscathed by waves caused by massive Chilean temblor


TOKYO - A tsunami raced across a quarter of the globe on Saturday following a massive earthquake in Chile and set off fears of a repeat of the carnage that caught the world off guard in Asia in 2004.

The tsunami delivered nothing more than a glancing blow to the U.S. and South Pacific. But Japan braced for waves up to 10 feet high, and it ordered hundreds of thousands of residents in low-lying areas to seek higher ground.

Japan girds for quake-triggered tsunami - Chile earthquake- msnbc.com

Hawaii tourism officials hope the publicity churned up by the tsunami that struck the Aloha State Saturday afternoon won’t keep visitors from coming to the island. The state has been struggling to recover from the recession and a dramatic drop-off in tourism spending.

“There is no reason to cancel your visit,” said George Applegate, the executive director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau.

Hawaii returns to normal after tsunami scare - News- msnbc.com

Actually, the Chilean earthquake was about 100 times STRONGER than the one that hit Haiti. The scale is logarithmic so an increase of 1 is a difference of 10 times. I believe the earthquake in Haiti was a 6.7 which means the 8.8 was 100 times stronger. The quake was deeper, in a less populous area, and the buildings are built to handle earthquakes so the damage was far less, relatively speaking.

Even so, it is a major disaster.

Chilean authorities extended an overnight curfew to midday Tuesday as thousands of troops struggled to contain out of control looting and crime in the wake of the devastating earthquake.
Despite the heavy military presence in the badly damaged city of Concepcion, looters burned stores and residents complained of deteriorating security and slow government delivery of food and other basic supplies. Soldiers fired teargas in efforts to restrict disorder.

More: Curfew in Chile Extended as Army Seeks Control - The Americas - FOXNews.com