Update#7. Almost all countries in the Pacific have been issued a warning, including New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii and as far as Russia and Japan.
There has been no contact with the Chilean city of Concepcion, a coastal area home to more than 600,000 people which is under 100 kilometres from the quake epicentre.
Update#6. 40 meter wave tsunami hits Juan Fernandez islands 600 kilometers off Chile and keeps on travelling towards Hawaii. The islands have a population of around 700 people. If the size of the wave is confirmed, total devastation a possibility. CNN in reporting over 25 aftershocks recorded in Chile.
Update #5. Tsunami warning issued for east coast of Australia. Wave could arrive at 8:45AM Sunday morning Sydney Time.
Update #4. Death toll rises to 47.
Update #3. Death toll now reported by Chilean TV at 16.
First video of damage courtesy of BBC.
Update #2. President of Chile, Michele Bachelet warns of high death toll.
We have had a huge earthquake. We're doing everything we can with all the forces we have. Any information we will share immediately.Commenting on earlier reports of deaths, Bachelet said.
without a doubt, with an earthquake of this magnitude, there will be more deaths.Update #1. Tsunami Bulletin for Hawaii.
First reports indicate at least six deaths.
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This earthquake follows a 7.0 magnitude near the Ryukyu Islands in Japan less than 12 hours prior to the Chile earthquake.
The earthquake struck Saturday February 27, 2010 at 06:34 UTC, (01:34AM Toronto time, 8:34PM Friday Hawaii time and 5:34PM Saturday in Sydney Australia)
The epicenter was located 325 km (200 miles) SW of the capital Santiago at a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles) .
Reports of damage are preliminary as communications have been disrupted in Chile.
A Tsunami (Tidal Wave) warning has been issued by the US Geological Survey. Tsunami warnings have already been issued for Hawaii.
Should a Tsunami occur, the expected time of impact in Hawaii is estimated to be 11:19AM Hawaii time on Saturday.
More to follow.
i was just watching cnn interviewing a geologist who said that all the earth quakes we have seen around the world and quite a few in the last 12mths, are all just coincidence- WHAT AN IDIOT
-current evidence suggests all earth quakes are interlinked so if you have one on one side of a techtonic plate you probably get another one on the next tectonic plate.
EXAMPLE- there where and have been at least 7 quakes in the samoa region of the sth pacific all registering at above 7 on the richter scale, now go straight across to chile and guess what they line pretty up well-coincidence hey- yeah f***ing rubbish
-The same geologist then said there are only about 10 earthquakes a year above 7, well guess what we had more than that last year.
I suppose this guy also beleives we live in a universe where absolutely everything is disconnected and everythings a coincidence.
the truth been that this guys brain cells are pretty disconnected.
Why does acedemia think the rest of us are idiots, i say the only idiots are academics who clearly speak bull sh*T, and frankly i think cnn should find academics who clearly can show they know what there talking about.
My heart goes out to the people of chilli.