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Massive earthquake strikes Chile


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A massive earthquake has hit central Chile, killing at least 122 people, the country's president-elect says.

The 8.8 magnitude quake struck at 0634 GMT about 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital, Santiago.

President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in affected areas and appealed for calm.

A tsumami set off by the quake has triggered warnings in countries around the Pacific Ocean.

The earthquake is the biggest to hit Chile in 50 years.

Santiago was also among the areas that suffered extensive damage. At least 13 people were killed there. A number of buildings collapsed. A two-level car park was flattened, smashing dozens of cars.

A fire at a chemical plant in the outskirts of the capital forced the evacuation of the neighbourhood.

Official figures said 34 people had died in the region of Maule, with deaths also in reported in the O'Higgins region, in Biobio, in Araucania and in Valparaiso.

Chilean President-elect Sebastian Pinera, who is due to take office next month, put the overall death toll at 122, adding that it could rise.

More info. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8540289.stm

Pictures : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8540473.stm

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Here is a warning info. from NOAA

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/hawaii/2010/hawaii.2010.02.27.213334.txt

A TSUNAMI HAS BEEN GENERATED THAT COULD CAUSE DAMAGE ALONG
COASTLINES OF ALL ISLANDS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. URGENT ACTION
SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT LIVES AND PROPERTY.

THE TSUNAMI HAS REACHED HAWAII AND IS JUST BEGINNING TO REGISTER
ON BIG ISLAND GAUGES. LATER BULLETINS WILL REPORT DETAILS OF THE
HAWAII OBSERVATIONS

A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF LONG OCEAN WAVES. EACH INDIVIDUAL WAVE
CREST CAN LAST 5 TO 15 MINUTES OR MORE AND EXTENSIVELY FLOOD
COASTAL AREAS. THE DANGER CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AFTER THE
INITIAL WAVE AS SUBSEQUENT WAVES ARRIVE. TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS
CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST.
TSUNAMI WAVES EFFICIENTLY WRAP AROUND ISLANDS. ALL SHORES ARE AT
RISK NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION THEY FACE. THE TROUGH OF A TSUNAMI
WAVE MAY TEMPORARILY EXPOSE THE SEAFLOOR BUT THE AREA WILL
QUICKLY FLOOD AGAIN. EXTREMELY STRONG AND UNUSUAL NEARSHORE
CURRENTS CAN ACCOMPANY A TSUNAMI. DEBRIS PICKED UP AND CARRIED
BY A TSUNAMI AMPLIFIES ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWER. SIMULTANEOUS HIGH
TIDES OR HIGH SURF CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE TSUNAMI HAZARD.

THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME IN HAWAII OF THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS

1105 AM HST SAT 27 FEB 2010

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