A massive 8.3 magnitude quake followed by a series of aftershocks has rocked the Chilean coastline, shaking houses and forcing people to evacuate into the streets as authorities issued tsunami warnings for the area.
17 September 2015
- 04:55 GMT
ONEMI has canceled Tsunami warnings for the Island of San Felix and Juan Fernandez Archipelago in addition to the regions of Los Rios, Los Lagos, Aysen and Magallanes. However, the rest of the coastline remains under tsunami alert. - 04:54 GMT
President Bachelet has declared a "disaster area in the town of Choapa," according to Chilean Deputy Interior Minister, Mahmud Aleuy. - 04:41 GMT
- 04:23 GMT
Chilean Deputy Interior Minister Mahmud Aleuy says that "President Bachelet has declared [a] disaster area in the town of Choapa." - 04:22 GMT
Authorities have identified the five people that fell victim to the quake:
- Lissette Araya Silva, 35, who died following the collapse of a roof.
- Jofre Gloria Victoria, 20, who died following a rockslide.
- Luis Damaris, 67, who died in Van Buren Hospital cardiac arrest.
- Renato Salazar Diaz, 91, who died in the city of Maipรบ from cardiac arrest.
- Humberto Fernandez, 81, who died of cardiac arrest in Valparaiso. - 04:18 GMT
Some 186,000 customers are without power in the Coquimbo region, ONEMI reports.
Meanwhile, new footage shows residents in Vina del Mar evacuating.
- 04:17 GMT
Another aftershock has been recorded near Ovalle, Chile, this time one of 6.2 magnitude. This brings the total number of aftershocks recorded by the USGS to 15. - 04:16 GMT
Video footage captured by Chilean CCTV shows the moment of impact in Santiago.
- 04:14 GMT
Chilean Interior Minister Jorge Burgos is heading to ONEMI to monitor the situation, as the national Congress was evacuated from the city of Valparaiso, local media reports. - 04:10 GMT
More video footage of people reacting to the earthquake in Chile.
Comment: Remember this?
Massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Chile
Now consider this:
Earthquake frequency increasing: Rate of strong quakes doubles in 2014