2 Million People in Chile Affected by Earthquake

A man walks amid the rubble after a major earthquake in Santiago, Chile, 27 February 2010. Two million people have been affected by the massive earthquake that struck central Chile early on 27 February. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The 8,8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on Saturday has claimed at least 300 lives.

The death toll is rising as rescue teams are searching for survivors in the devastated areas.

Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet announced in an address that two million people have been affected by the earthquake, and that 1,5 million buildings have been damaged.

One of the most devastating earthquakes on record hit Chile before dawn on Saturday, with its epicenter some 320 km south of the capital Santiago. The capital has also been affected but the city of Concepcion to the south has been hit hardest.

Chile’s President Bachelet has declared six of the country’s 15 regions disaster zones.

Five people have been killed by a two-meter tsunami wave in the Robinson Crusoe Islands off Chile’s coast. However, even though some 50 countries in the Pacific Rim braced for a possible tsunami, these fears have failed to materialize with only minor waves reaching places such as New Zealand and Japan.

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