Chile Quake Death Toll Reaches 147, Tsunami Hits Coast

World | February 27, 2010, Saturday // 19:45|  views

Chilean President, Michelle Bachelet (C), during her visit to the central headquarters of the Emergency National Office (ONEMI) in Santiago, after an earthquake of 8.8 on the Richter scale hit the country early Saturday. Photo by BGNES

Numerous tsunami waves have been reported in the Pacific, with one reaching as high as 7,7 feet in the central Chile coastal town of Talcahuan, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reports, cited by CNN.

Tsunamis have further hit French Polynesia and are expected to reach Mexico soon.

The tsunami were triggered by a powerful 8,8 earthquake that struck 35 km deep at 06:34 GMT, some 91 km northeast of the city of Concepcion and 317 km southwest of the Chilean capital, Santiago. The shocks were felt strongly in Peru, Argentina and Ecuador.

The death toll has climbed to 147 and is expected to go much higher, but officials are not yet giving any information on the number of the injured.

The capital of Santiago lost electricity and basic services including water and telephones. Regional hospitals had suffered damage and some were evacuated. There are also reports of collapsed buildings. A major bridge connecting northern and southern Chile was rendered inoperable, and the Santiago airport remains closed.

Numerous aftershocks, including one of magnitude 6,9, were felt within hours of the initial quake, USGS says.

Meanwhile sirens sounded across Hawaii, warning of a possible tsunami and telling people to in coastal areas to evacuate. The messages alert about the urgent need to undertake measures to protect the life and the property of the locals.

The first wave is expected to reach Hawaii around 11:20 am local time (11 pm Bulgarian time) with height of 5 meters. The culmination of each wave hitting the shore can last anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes, but the danger will linger for hours after the first hit.

In addition to Hawaii, high alert is declared for the entire Pacific Ocean – the South America shoreline, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Russia.

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Tags: Earthquake, Chile, Hawaii, tsunami

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