BLOOMBERG/ President Michelle Bachelet has declared a "state of catastrophe" and appealed for calm after an earthquake struck at 0634 GMT, 70 miles NE of Concepcion and 200 miles SW of Santiago. It is the biggest quake to hit Chile in 50 years and one of the biggest temblors anywhere in more than 100 years. It unleashed a tsunami that roared across the Pacific at 550 miles per hour -- the speed of a jet plane. Since 1973, the USGS reports that there have been 13 seismic events of 7.0 or greater in Chile. President-elect Sebastian Pinera told reporters that “this earthquake is a massive blow to Chilean society."
Posts