Massive Earthquake Hits Southern Chile
(MENAFN) Thousands were forced to flee their homes in both Chile and Argentina following a powerful 7.4 magnitude tremor off the southern coastline of Chile, which led officials to issue — and later revoke — a tsunami alert.
The Chilean National Seismological Center stated that the seismic event occurred at 9:58 a.m. local time (1358 GMT) in the Drake Passage, the stretch of ocean separating Cape Horn from Antarctica.
The epicenter was pinpointed 219 kilometers (136 miles) from Ushuaia, Argentina — commonly acknowledged as the globe’s most southern city.
The U.S. Geological Survey indicated the earthquake happened at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).
Although Chilean authorities rescinded the tsunami warning later, they kept precautionary alerts in effect, emphasizing that fluctuations in sea level remained a possibility and observation efforts were ongoing.
Officials expect waves up to three meters high could hit Chile’s shores over the course of the day.
Leader Gabriel Boric made an appeal for residents in the Magallanes coastal region to relocate.
"We are calling for the evacuation of the coastline throughout the Magallanes region," Boric said.
"Right now, our duty is to be proactive and heed the authorities."
Chile’s national disaster response agency (Senapred) reported that over 1,700 individuals had moved to elevated areas near the remote towns of Puerto Williams and Puerto Natales.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
