8.8 Magnitude Earthquake Death Toll at 214 in Chile

SANTIAGO, Chile (Hollywood Backstage) - At least 214 people were killed in the 8.8-Magnitude earthquake. It struck just 100 kilometers from Chillan, Chile, right around 3:30 in the morning when many people were asleep in their beds. Aftershocks have rattled the area. There is no power, no water and no telephone service in Chile's Capitol of Santiago.

The largest quake in 50 years (in Chile) knocked down buildings, power lines, parking structures, roads and part of the Santiago airport, which is shut down and will remain closed for at least 72 hours. Streets have separated, bricks tumbled, cars were crushed and roofs have collapsed.

The major bridge between the northern and southern sections of the country is completely damaged and out of service. Several other bridges have collapsed outside of Concepción. Fires erupted in some damaged buildings. Power was knocked out and transformers exploded. Eyewitnesses said that the sky exploded and was changing colors and with the shaking it was like the end of the world.

Many areas are without power. One of the hardest hit areas, Concepción, shook for 3 to 5 minutes. A fifteen story building has collapsed. Buildings are on fire. Residents reported violent shaking and significant damage. Anything on walls or in cabinets or shelves was knocked to the ground. Fallen debris and rubble could be seen in the streets. Large cracks up to a several feet wide appeared in the streets and the ground was broken up in many places and many roads are closed. There have been 60 aftershocks of a magnitude 5.0 or greater since the initial quake struck. One aftershock, off the coast of Bio-Bio, Chile, was a magnitude 6.9, which is a very large aftershock.

The West Coast Alaska Tsunami Warning Center has issued the highest level Tsunami Warning which is only triggered when significant widespread inundation is imminent or expected. Tsunami Warnings alert the public that widespread, dangerous coastal flooding accompanied by powerful currents is possible and may continue for several hours after arrival of the initial wave.

214 people are reported dead as a result of the earthquake. There are reports of screams coming from buildings. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has declared "areas of disaster." Residents have poured into the streets to get away from the falling objects in the buildings. Everything has fallen off of the walls.

Increased ocean turbulence could effect beaches far from the epicenter of the quake. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is advising everyone to stay away from the turbulent ocean and beach areas until the danger is cleared. Hawaii sounded evacuation alarms at 6:00AM. A Tsunami Warning continues in effect for the state of Hawaii. People are beginning to hoard food and stores are rationing what people are allowed to buy. Officials have determined a potentially destructive Tsunami will strike Hawaii with waves of unknown proportions. It is expected to strike just after 11:00AM local Hawaii time. Beach areas and low lying ground have been evacuated.

The wave could exceed speeds of 500 miles per hour. A massive wave in the ocean slows down and gets larger as it approaches land. Centimeters can turn into meters. The wave will be traveling the speed of a jetliner and could reach Japan.

The 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake is estimated to be 800 times more powerful than the one which struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. The 2010 Chile Earthquake is the fifth most powerful earthquake in magnitude since 1900. The largest earthquake in recorded history occurred in 1960 in Chile (Magnitude 9.5). The next largest was 9.2 in 1964 (Prince William Sound Alaska). The earthquake which struck Chile today is the largest earthquake to hit Chile in 50 years.

Chart:  15 Most Powerful Earthquakes since 1900

The U.S. Embassy in Chile estimates that about 1,000 American Citizens are in the area most effected by the earthquake. They are setting up a crisis area.

Monica Jimenez, Minister of Education in Chile, said, "We are asking for patience and calm. We are evaluating what is the situation for infrastructure of the schools. We will have to coordinate with transportation. The children were about to begin school on Monday and we will evaluate the safety of the buildings and streets before we will know whether we can continue the school schedule as planned."

There have been unconfirmed reports that a gigantic 130 foot Tsunami wave has hit Juan Fernandez Island swallowing the Island after the massive 8.8-Magnitude Earthquake stuck off the coast of Chile. Three deaths have been reported in Juan Fernandez Island and ten people are missing.

Government officials in Chile have now confirmed the death toll exceeds 214, with that number expected to climb dramatically. The two largest emergency hospitals have structural damage.

A large 7.7 foot ocean level surge has been detected in Talcahuano, Chile.

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA... WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA. ... A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE IN EFFECT

... A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR CHILE / PERU

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR CHILE / PERU / ECUADOR / COLOMBIA / ANTARCTICA / PANAMA / COSTA RICA / NICARAGUA / PITCAIRN / HONDURAS / EL SALVADOR / GUATEMALA / FR. POLYNESIA / MEXICO / COOK ISLANDS / KIRIBATI / KERMADEC IS / NIUE / NEW ZEALAND / TONGA / AMERICAN SAMOA / SAMOA / JARVIS IS. / WALLIS-FUTUNA / TOKELAU / FIJI / AUSTRALIA / HAWAII / PALMYRA IS. / TUVALU / VANUATU / HOWLAND-BAKER / NEW CALEDONIA / JOHNSTON IS. / SOLOMON IS. / NAURU / MARSHALL IS. / MIDWAY IS. / KOSRAE / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / POHNPEI / WAKE IS. / CHUUK / RUSSIA / MARCUS IS. / INDONESIA / N. MARIANAS / GUAM / YAP / BELAU / JAPAN / PHILIPPINES / CHINESE TAIPEI

A tsunami has been observed at the following sites:

IQUIQUE, Chile

20.2S

70.1W

0906Z

0.27M /  0.9FT

CALDERA, Chile

27.1S

70.8W

0843Z

0.45M /  1.5FT

ANTOFAGASTA, Chile 

23.2S

70.4W

0832Z

0.40M /  1.3FT

TALCAHUANO, Chile

36.7S

73.4W

0652Z

2.34M /  7.7FT

COQUIMBO, Chile  

30.0S

71.3W

0852Z

1.32M /  4.3FT

CORRAL, Chile

39.9S

73.4W

0739Z

0.90M /  2.9FT

SAN FELIX, Chile

26.3S

80.1W

0815Z

0.53M /  1.7FT

VALPARAISO, Chile

33.0S

71.6W

0708Z

1.29M /  4.2FT

LAT  - LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
LON  - LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
TIME - TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME)
PER  - PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.
AMPL - TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.

It is NOT crest-to-trough wave height. Values are given in both meters (M) and feet (FT).

THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER HAS ISSUED AN EXPANDING REGIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH FOR PARTS OF THE PACIFIC LOCATED CLOSER TO THE EARTHQUAKE. AN EVALUATION OF THE PACIFIC WIDE TSUNAMI THREAT IS UNDERWAY AND THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT HAWAII COULD BE ELEVATED TO A WATCH OR WARNING STATUS. IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THEIR ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL TIME IS 1119 AM HST SAT 27 FEB 2010.

This earthquake occurred at the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates. The two plates are converging at a rate of 80 mm per year. The earthquake occurred as thrust-faulting on the interface between the two plates, with the Nazca plate moving down and landward below the South American plate.

Coastal Chile has a history of very large earthquakes. Since 1973, there have been 13 events of magnitude 7.0 or greater. The February 27 shock originated about 230 km north of the source region of the magnitude 9.5 earthquake of May, 1960 – the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the world. This magnitude 9.5 earthquake killed 1655 people in southern Chile and unleashed a tsunami that crossed the Pacific, killing 61 people in Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines. Approximately 870 km to the north of the February 27 earthquake is the source region of the magnitude 8.5 earthquake of November, 1922. This great quake significantly impacted central Chile, killing several hundred people and causing severe property damage. The 1922 quake generated a 9-meter local tsunami that inundated the Chile coast near the town of Coquimbo; the tsunami also crossed the Pacific, washing away boats in Hilo harbor, Hawaii. The magnitude 8.8 earthquake of February 27, 2010 ruptured the portion of the South American subduction zone separating these two massive historical earthquakes.

A large vigorous aftershock sequence can be expected from this earthquake.