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Thursday, April 3, 2014

Five killed, several injured in strong Chile earthquake

Wed Apr 2, 2014

At least five people have been killed and several others seriously injured in Chile following an earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale in the country’s northern region.

According to Chile’s Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo, four men and a woman were confirmed dead in the cities of Iquique and Alto Hospicio.

The ministry said the victims had died of either a heart attack or falling debris.

Earlier reports had placed the number of the deaths at two.

The US Geological Survey said that the earthquake hit at 08:46 pm local time (2346 GMT) on Tuesday at a depth of 20.1 kilometers (12.5 miles), 95 kilometers (59 miles) northwest of Iquique on Chile’s northern coast.

Meanwhile, Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet has declared parts of the country’s north disaster zones. The president is expected to travel to the regions of Arica and Tarapaca on Wednesday.

Following the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for Latin America’s entire Pacific coast.

A number of roads in Chile were reportedly blocked by landslides. The quake has also caused power cuts.

Thousands of Chileans living in coastal areas have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

The northern areas of Chile had been witnessing quakes in recent days.

On March 30, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off Chile’s Pacific coast, followed by at least two moderate aftershocks, the USGS said.

Chile is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/04/02/356875/earthquake-kills-in-chile/.

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