Chilequake: Few deaths, local tsunami damage but not elsewhere (Updated)

Rattled Chileans recounted a night of terrifying aftershocks on Thursday after a powerful quake struck offshore, killing at least 11 and triggering tsunami waves that ravaged stretches of the coast, but not elsewhere as originally feared.

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A fishing boat that was ran aground by the sea while moored in the port of Coquimbo, some 445 km north of Santiago, during the earthquake on September 17, 2015. AFP PHOTO /MARTIN BERNETTI

Friday update

Chile earthquake: Few deaths, local tsunami damage but not elsewhere

Tsuanmi hits Chilean coast, but effects minimal elsewhere

AFP – Rattled Chileans recounted a night of terrifying aftershocks on Thursday after a powerful quake struck offshore, killing at least 11 and triggering tsunami waves that ravaged stretches of the coast.

The 8.3-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday evening was the sixth most powerful in the history of geologically volatile Chile and the strongest anywhere in the world this year, officials said.

Close to one million people were evacuated from Pacific coastal areas as a precaution as Chile sounded a tsunami alert, with warnings issued as far away as Japan and New Zealand.

In the hours that followed, tsunami waves of up to 4.5 meters (15 feet) came crashing onshore in the region of Coquimbo, 400 kilometers north of Santiago, causing extensive damage to the port itself.

The fishing village of Tongoy was among the worst-hit, with television footage showing entire seafront areas destroyed. Two-meter waves also struck the tourist port of Valparaiso.

Elsewhere in the Pacific region, however, tsunami waves lost most of their strength before hitting coastal areas.

Hilo, Hawaii reported a one metre wave, but no damage. A wave of 30 centimetres (12 inches) was recorded off the Japanese city of Kuji at 7:13 am (2213 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Tsunami alerts have now been cancelled for California and New Zealand.

People remain in the street after a tsunami alert in Valparaiso, Chile on September 16, 2015. AFP PHOTO /ESTEBAN ZUNIGA

Strong earthquake hits Chile, Tsunami warnings issued for Pacific

AFP reports that a strong 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck the center of Chile on Wednesday (about 7am Thursday Thai time), US seismologists said, triggering a tsunami alert and the evacuation of coastal areas.

At least two people were killed and 10 hurt in Chile, where terrified residents rushed out onto the streets in the capital Santiago and beyond, as far away as Argentina.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially put the shallow offshore quake at a magnitude of 7.9, but quickly raised it to 8.3 and said it hit just 228 kilometers north of Santiago.

The earthquake area. Numerous aftershocks hit the area within two hours of the initial shock and a huge tsunami wave has also been reported. United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Apart from the earthquake damage itself, tsunami waves are a big concern. Already there are reports of a 4.5 metre wave hitting coastal areas of Chile.

Reuters quotes the Pacific Tsunami Center (PTWC) in Hawaii as saying waves of up to three metres (10 feet) are possible along the coast of French Polynesia. Hawaii, too, is under a tsunami watch although no major tsunami is expected. California authorities have warned of above normal waves and strong, possibly hazardous, currents.

The PTWC also issued an alert for tsunami waves of between 0.3 to 1 metres for Japan, Antarctica, and most of the South Pacific, including New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.

AP reports that New Zealand (9,600 kilometres away from Chile) has now issued a tsunami warning, saying that if it arrived it would be around midnight local time (7pm Thai time).

You can get live updates here: http://bnonews.com/news/index.php/tags/tag/id/271/

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