(Image source from: 8.2 Richter scale tremor ravages Chile})
A massive quake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale jolted northern parts of Chile on Tuesday night, provoking a small tsunami in the area and prompting people along the country's entire Pacific stretch and much of Latin America to flee.
Although the area suffered no serious damage, two people are reported to have died and several others gravely injured when the strong tremors struck the city at about 8.46pm local time. The heavy quake also set off landslides, blocking roads and causing power outage. An airport fell to bits and so did homes made of adobe and several businesses caught fire.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake was quite shallow, only 6.2 miles (10 km) below the seabed. It hit at 6:46 pm local time (2346 GMT) 62 miles (99 km) northwest of the mining port of Iquique, near the Peruvian border.
As many as 300 inmates from a women's prison in Iquique escaped. A planeload of special forces was being deployed in the city to prevent looting.
The quake also shook Peru and in Bolivia's high altitude capital of La Paz.
The Chilean navy said the first tsunami wave had hit the coast within 45 minutes of the quake. "An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
This isn't the first time that Chile had to battle one such disaster. The largest earthquake hit the coast of Chile on May 22, 1960, measuring a whopping 9.5 on the Richter scale. Almost 1,655 people were killed, 3,000 injured , 2million people were rendered homeless and half a billion dollars worth property was damaged.
Another massive quake, measuring 8.8 and ensuing tsunami struck central Chile in 2010, killing more than 500 people, destroying over 220,000 homes, washing away docks, riverfronts and seaside resorts.
For all who didn't know, Chile is susceptible to earthquakes as it rests on the boundary between the Nazca plate and South America plate in the earth’s crust.
Image Source: Daily Mail
AW: Suchorita Choudhury
