Two people were confirmed dead and three were seriously injured in Iquique, Iquique governor Gonzalo Prieto told local radio station Cooperativa. He said both died after cardiac arrest. The quake, which was centered 61 miles west-northwest of Iquique, and was 6.21 miles deep, was initially measured at 8.0, but was later upgraded, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a six-foot tsunami hit Pisagua, Chile, at 8:04 p.m. ET. There was some damage reported on roads linking northern towns between Iquique and Alto Auspicio, but it wasnt immediately clear how much. The earthquake was so strong that the shaking it caused in La Paz, Bolivia, 290 miles from the epicenter, was the equivalent of a 4.5-magnitude tremor, authorities there said. The quake triggered at least eight strong aftershocks in the first few hours, including a 6.2 tremor. In Chile, evacuation orders were issued for the cities of Arica, Iquique and Antofagasta. All cities were along a low coast and each evacuation involved a significant climb to higher land further inland, ABC News producer Helen Hughes said from Santiago, Chile. Salvador Urrutia, the mayor of Arica, said there were minor injuries in the city but no deaths reported. Some homes were damaged, but the modern structures and taller buildings were not damaged. He said the city was without power and had no cellphone service. Despite the fear caused by the evacuation order, which was not limited to the coast, he said people remained calm. Two waves hit initially Iquique and Pisagua, but none larger than two meters. The first wave was not necessarily the strongest, local officials said, and people were warned not to return to the coastline until alert is lifted. There have been numerous quakes in the same area over the past few weeks, but scientists said it was not clear whether they were a sign that a major quake was coming.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 04:14:21 +0000
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