At least 6 people are dead following the massive 8.2 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Chili Tuesday.
Officials say the victims likely died of heart attacks or from being crushed in the aftermath. They also point out it’s an incredibly low death toll for an earthquake of that scale. (Via Fox News)
At 12.5 miles deep, the shaking was felt almost 300 miles away in the Bolivian capital. A small tsunami was also triggered, along with fires, sapped power and landslides blocking major roads and highways.
Officials say they haven't yet determined the extent of the damage and are waiting until daylight to do so.
Police, meanwhile, are on high alert — warning residents and businesses of looting. About 300 inmates reportedly escaped from a women’s prison in the northern port city of Iquique . (Via BBC)
Evacuation orders were issued for several coastal cities. Officials are urging tens of thousands of residents to flee to higher ground. (Via ITN)
This part of Chile is used to earthquakes. Hundreds of smaller tremors were felt in the past two weeks alone. What's most troubling — this quake might not be the worst of it.
"This magnitude 8.2 is not the largest earthquake that we were expecting for this area. We’re still expecting a potentially even larger earthquake.” (Via KCBS)
That's because Chile is on the so-called Ring of Fire —where several of the earth's tectonic plates meet— making the area more susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic activity . (Via Discovery)
In 2010, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chile, killing nearly 500 people and causing massive damage. In the past 40 years, Chile has seen more than a dozen quakes with magnitudes of 7.0 or above. (Via CBS)
A tsunami advisory remains in effect for Hawaii. Geophysicists in the U.S. say the quake poses no danger to the U.S. coastline.
