Saturday, February 27, 2010

Robinson Crusoe Islands a huge wave reached a populated area



A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake has struck Chile, killing at least 75 people, collapsing buildings and setting off a tsunami.

A huge wave reached a populated area in the Robinson Crusoe Islands, 410 miles off the Chilean coast, said President Michelle Bachelet.

Tsunami warnings were issued over a wide area, including South America, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Russia and many Pacific islands.

"It has been a devastating earthquake," interior minister Edmundo Perez Yoma told reporters. He said at least 75 people had been killed, and "the death toll will continue rising."

Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in central Chile.

"We have had a huge earthquake, with some aftershocks," Bachelet said from an emergency response centre. She urged Chileans not to panic.

"Despite this, the system is functioning. People should remain calm. We're doing everything we can with all the forces we have. Any information we will share immediately," she said.

In the two and a half hours following the 90-second quake, the US Geological Survey reported 11 aftershocks, five of them measuring 6.0 or above.

Bachelet urged people to avoid travelling, since traffic lights were down, to avoid causing more fatalities.

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