Chile Earthwake Aftermath: 8.3 Magnitude Disaster Leaves 11 Dead In Coquimbo

Indonesia has been declared safe from potential tsunamis following Chile’s 8.3-magnitude quake on Wednesday, said the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on Friday. “Once again we have to confront a tough blow from nature”, Bachelet said in regards to Chile’s history with earthquakes.

An Interior Ministry official says a million people were forced out of their homes, and electrical power was cut off to about a quarter of a million. “Some boats are stranded in the wetlands and others are stuck inland”, said Burgos, who inspected to the affected region on Thursday morning, in a preliminary damage report.

The advisory, which was lifted at around 7:40 a.m., was originally issued Wednesday at approximately 3 p.m. after a strong quake shook an area near Chile.

The natural disaster, which was Chile’s third massive quake in five years, hit just as thousands of Chileans were travelling to the coast to celebrate their independence day, which is on September 18.

Chile’s government urged residents to evacuate the coastline.

Residents gather next to a damaged building after an quake hit areas of central Chile, in Illapel town, north of Santiago, Chile, September 17, 2015. Officials later downgraded that to an advisory, saying that no major tsunami was expected in the state.

Tsunami effects also were felt along the coasts of Oregon, California, British Columbia and Alaska.

The US Geological Survey said that the quake occurred at 10:54pm GMT and that it measured 8.3 on the moment magnitude scale.

Toro emphasised the speed with which the navy’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service and the National Seismological Center issued the tsunami alert, a move that allowed the rapid evacuation of communities along more than 4,000 km of the country’s Pacific coast.

“The tsunami waves may rise less than one foot in height, but there is a possibility of a surge of waves and currents that may impact the Los Angeles County beaches and harbor areas”, the county Office of Emergency Management said.