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An 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile early Saturday, killing more than 120 people, collapsing buildings and setting off a tsunami that threatened several countries around the Pacific Ocean.
President Michele Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in central Chile and said the death toll was rising.
"We've learned that it was a shallow thrust earthquake, which means it had the potential to cause a tsunami, which it did in this case," said Jessica Sigala of the U.S. Geological Survey.
"The earthquake in Chile released about 500 times the amount of energy that the earthquake in Haiti did," she told CBC News.
Haiti's massive earthquake on Jan. 12 killed more than 200,000 people and levelled 38 per cent of the capital of Port-au-Prince.
Canada's Foreign Affairs Department says Canadians seeking information about relatives in Chile can call 613-943-1055, or 1-800-387-3124
"With this new quake, the oceanic crust went under Chile and as it did this, it created this tremendous amount of energy that pushed out toward the ocean and then that water caused the wave to occur," Sigala said.
Tsunami warnings were issued over a wide area, including South America, Hawaii, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia and many Pacific islands.
A tsunami warning was issued for all of Hawaii's islands. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the first waves were expected to arrive in that region at 11:19 a.m. local time Saturday (4:19 p.m. ET).
"Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property," the centre said.
Authorities on the Pacific islands of American Samoa and Samoa have urged people in coastal areas to move to higher ground.
Tsunami advisory for coastal British Columbia
A lower-grade tsunami advisory was in effect for the coast of California and an Alaskan coastal area from Kodiak to Attu islands.
That same advisory includes British Columbia. It says people in low-lying coastal areas should move out of the water, away from beaches and out of harbours and marinas. Experts predict the first wave to arrive at 15:11 PT (18:11 ET) along the southern B.C. coastline.
Australia's southeast coast is under a tsunami watch and authorities are telling people to stay away from the beaches. An emergency services official said the potential impact of the waves for Australia will become clearer once the tsunami reaches Hawaii.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center said reported a "potential tsunami threat" to New South Wales state, Queensland state, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.
Death toll expected to rise
In Chile's capital, Santiago airport was shut down Saturday and will remain closed for at least the next 24 hours, airport director Eduardo del Canto said. The passenger terminal has suffered major damage, he told Chilean television in a telephone interview.
Chilean president-elect Sebastian Pinera said more than 120 people died, but the death toll was rising quickly.
TV images showed smashed windows, partially collapsed ceilings and pedestrian walkways destroyed. Chilean television also showed images of destroyed buildings and damaged cars, with rubble-strewn streets.
The quake struck at 3:34 a.m. local time (1:34 a.m. ET) and was centred 325 kilometres southwest of the capital, Santiago, at a depth of 35 kilometres, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
In the hours after the 90-second tremor, the U.S. Geological Survey reported 11 aftershocks. The strongest was a magnitude 6.9.
Centred southwest of Santiago
The epicentre was just 115 kilometres from Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city, where more than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio River, and 100 kilometres from the ski town of Chillan, a gateway to Andean ski resorts that was destroyed in a 1939 earthquake.
Residents walk past debris after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Chile early Saturday. (Aliosha Marquez/Associated Press)In Santiago, modern buildings are built to withstand earthquakes, but many older ones were heavily damaged, including the Nuestra Senora de la Providencia church, whose bell tower collapsed. An apartment building's two-level parking lot also flattened onto the ground floor, smashing about 50 cars whose alarms and horns rang incessantly.
A bridge just outside the capital also collapsed, and at least one car flipped upside-down.
In the coastal city of Vina del Mar, the earthquake struck just as people were leaving a disco, Julio Alvarez told Radio Cooperativa in Santiago. "It was very bad, people were screaming, some people were running, others appeared paralyzed. I was one of them."
Bachelet said she was declaring a "state of catastrophe" in three central regions of the country, and that while emergency responders were waiting for first light to get details, it was evident that damage was extensive.
She encouraged people to stay home and not travel unless they had to.
President Michele Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in central Chile and said the death toll was rising.
"We've learned that it was a shallow thrust earthquake, which means it had the potential to cause a tsunami, which it did in this case," said Jessica Sigala of the U.S. Geological Survey.
"The earthquake in Chile released about 500 times the amount of energy that the earthquake in Haiti did," she told CBC News.
Haiti's massive earthquake on Jan. 12 killed more than 200,000 people and levelled 38 per cent of the capital of Port-au-Prince.
Canada's Foreign Affairs Department says Canadians seeking information about relatives in Chile can call 613-943-1055, or 1-800-387-3124
"With this new quake, the oceanic crust went under Chile and as it did this, it created this tremendous amount of energy that pushed out toward the ocean and then that water caused the wave to occur," Sigala said.
Tsunami warnings were issued over a wide area, including South America, Hawaii, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia and many Pacific islands.
A tsunami warning was issued for all of Hawaii's islands. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the first waves were expected to arrive in that region at 11:19 a.m. local time Saturday (4:19 p.m. ET).
"Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property," the centre said.
Authorities on the Pacific islands of American Samoa and Samoa have urged people in coastal areas to move to higher ground.
Tsunami advisory for coastal British Columbia
A lower-grade tsunami advisory was in effect for the coast of California and an Alaskan coastal area from Kodiak to Attu islands.
That same advisory includes British Columbia. It says people in low-lying coastal areas should move out of the water, away from beaches and out of harbours and marinas. Experts predict the first wave to arrive at 15:11 PT (18:11 ET) along the southern B.C. coastline.
Australia's southeast coast is under a tsunami watch and authorities are telling people to stay away from the beaches. An emergency services official said the potential impact of the waves for Australia will become clearer once the tsunami reaches Hawaii.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center said reported a "potential tsunami threat" to New South Wales state, Queensland state, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.
Death toll expected to rise
In Chile's capital, Santiago airport was shut down Saturday and will remain closed for at least the next 24 hours, airport director Eduardo del Canto said. The passenger terminal has suffered major damage, he told Chilean television in a telephone interview.
Chilean president-elect Sebastian Pinera said more than 120 people died, but the death toll was rising quickly.
TV images showed smashed windows, partially collapsed ceilings and pedestrian walkways destroyed. Chilean television also showed images of destroyed buildings and damaged cars, with rubble-strewn streets.
The quake struck at 3:34 a.m. local time (1:34 a.m. ET) and was centred 325 kilometres southwest of the capital, Santiago, at a depth of 35 kilometres, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
In the hours after the 90-second tremor, the U.S. Geological Survey reported 11 aftershocks. The strongest was a magnitude 6.9.
Centred southwest of Santiago
The epicentre was just 115 kilometres from Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city, where more than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio River, and 100 kilometres from the ski town of Chillan, a gateway to Andean ski resorts that was destroyed in a 1939 earthquake.
A bridge just outside the capital also collapsed, and at least one car flipped upside-down.
In the coastal city of Vina del Mar, the earthquake struck just as people were leaving a disco, Julio Alvarez told Radio Cooperativa in Santiago. "It was very bad, people were screaming, some people were running, others appeared paralyzed. I was one of them."
Bachelet said she was declaring a "state of catastrophe" in three central regions of the country, and that while emergency responders were waiting for first light to get details, it was evident that damage was extensive.
She encouraged people to stay home and not travel unless they had to.
