Residents picked through the rubble of destroyed buildings in central Chile yesterday after a magnitude 8.3 earthquake killed 10 people and sent powerful waves barrelling into coastal areas, forcing more than a million people from their homes.
Violent aftershocks continued to shake the South American country yesterday morning and local residents said they feared another big quake, although the government lifted its tsunami warning.
“Everything is a mess. It was a disaster, a total loss,” said restaurant owner Melisa Pinones in the city of Illapel, near the epicentre of the quake. “Bottles and glasses shattered and the pipes in the bathroom and kitchen burst.”
In the coastal town of Los Vilos, residents tried to salvage belongings from dozens of beachfront homes that were destroyed or severely damaged when the strong waves swept in.
The government had ordered evacuations from coastal areas after the powerful quake hit, seeking to avoid a repeat of a quake disaster in 2010 when authorities were slow to warn of a tsunami and hundreds were killed.
The latest quake and the heavy waves that followed caused flooding in coastal towns and knocked out power in the worst hit areas of central Chile, although most buildings held up well. It was felt as far away as Buenos Aires in Argentina.– (Reuters)