Skip
to Navigation

Skip
to Content

News

Crime
File

Nation /
World

Today's
Headlines

Traffic
& Transit

NY
Minute

Columnists

Galleries

Sports

Baseball

Yankees

Mets

Football

Giants

Jets

Basketball

Knicks

Nets

Hockey

Rangers

Islanders

Devils

More
Sports

High
School

Sports
Columnists

Sports Blogs

Galleries

Sports Pick'em

Entertainment

Movies

TV/Radio

TV Listings

Music

Culture

Gossip

Horoscope

Comics

Lottery

Games

Ent.
Columnists

Galleries

Opinions

NY Voices

Blogs

Opinion
Columnists

Money

Boroughs

Bronx

Brooklyn

Manhattan

Queens

Staten
Island

Death
Notices

Lifestyle

Food /
Dining

Education

Health

Horoscopes

Lottery

NY
Minute

Galleries

Gossip

Rush &
Molloy

Gatecrasher

Galleries

Travel

Galleries

Latino

Services

Careers

Autos

Real
Estate

Death
Notices

N.I.E.

Promotions

Coupons

Home
Delivery

Manage HD
Acct

Member
Center

Contact
Us

Advertising

Crime
File

Nation / World

Today's
Headlines

Traffic &
Transit

NY
Minute

Columnists

Galleries

Home

Autos

Real Estate

Jobs

Marketplace

Search Site Blogs Discussion

Major earthquake rocks Chile

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wednesday, November 14th 2007, 12:51 PM

Print

Email

Suggest a Story

SANTIAGO, Chile -- A major earthquake struck northern Chile on Wednesday,
toppling power lines, closing roads and sending terrified residents into the
streets. Authorities reported some injuries but no deaths from the quake, which
was felt in the capital as well as neighboring Peru and Bolivia.

The earthquake, which struck at 12:40 p.m. local time (10:40 a.m. EST),
measured magnitude 7.7 and was centered 780 miles north of Santiago, or 25 miles
east-southeast of Tocopilla, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The USGS said it occurred about 37.3 miles underground -- relatively deep --
which diminishes the destructive capability of quakes.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for Chile
and Peru but said it was not known whether a giant wave was
generated.
Presidential spokesman Ricardo Lagos Weber said none was expected because the
quake was inland.

Some houses were damaged in the port city of Tocopilla "and some people were
injured, apparently none seriously," said Deputy Interior Minister Felipe
Harboe.

Lagos Weber said power was cut in several cities in northern Chile.

Television images showed cars crushed by the collapse of a hotel entryway in
Antofagasta, 105 miles south of the epicenter. A reporter for Radio Cooperativa
said she saw cracks in the tarmac at the airport in Antofagasta.

"It was horribly strong. It was very long and there was a lot of underground
noise," said Andrea Riveros, spokeswoman for the Park Hotel in Calama, 60 miles
from the epicenter and site of the large Chuquicamata copper mine.

She said the quake knocked out power to the hotel, but caused no damage.

At the nearby Agua del Desierto Hotel, administrator Paola Barria said she
felt like she was riding on "a floating island." She reported downed power
lines, cracked windows and fallen pieces of houses near the hotel.

"I was very frightened. It was very strong," she said. "I've never felt one
that strong."

In the Bolivian capital of La Paz, 385 miles northeast of the epicenter, some
high-rise buildings were evacuated, but there was no apparent damage and people
soon returned to their offices.

Stretching along the earthquake-prone Pacific "Ring of Fire," Chile has
suffered many destructive temblors. A 1939 quake killed 28,000 people and in
1960 a magnitude-9.5 quake killed 5,700 people. That remains the most powerful
quake on record.

On June 13, 2005, a magnitude 7.8 quake near Tarapaca in northern Chile
killed 11 people and left thousands homeless.

Digg

Del.icio.us

Newsvine

Reddit

Furl

Stumble
Upon

Nation/World Update E-mail

Sign
up to receive daily newsletters

Back
to top

Print this page

Autos

Jobs

Real Estate

Marketplace

Customer
Service

Contact
Us

Site Map

Advertising/Media
Kit

Buy
an Ad link

Use of this website signifies your agreement to the Terms of
Service and Privacy
Policy

© Copyright 2007 NYDailyNews.com. All rights reserved.