© REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido
People recover items from houses destroyed by waves after an earthquake hit areas of central Chile, in Concon city, northwest of Santiago, September 17, 2015. Strong aftershocks rippled through Chile on Thursday after a magnitude 8.3 earthquake that killed at least ten people and slammed powerful waves into coastal towns, forcing more than a million people from their homes.
People recover items from houses destroyed by waves after an earthquake hit areas of central Chile, in Concon city, northwest of Santiago, September 17, 2015. Strong aftershocks rippled through Chile on Thursday after a magnitude 8.3 earthquake that killed at least ten people and slammed powerful waves into coastal towns, forcing more than a million people from their homes.
Aftershocks shook the South American country following Wednesday's quake, the strongest in the world this year and the biggest to hit Chile since 2010. But some residents expressed relief that the destruction had not been greater.
In the northern port city of Coquimbo, where waves of up to 4.5 meters (15 feet) slammed into the shore, large fishing boats washed up onto the streets and others splintered, littering the bay with debris.
"Everything is a mess. It was a disaster, a total loss. Bottles and glasses shattered and the pipes in the bathroom and kitchen burst," said restaurant owner Melisa Pinones in the inland city of Illapel, near the epicenter.
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