Chile hit by 7.6-magnitude earthquake aftershock Fishing boats washed ashore by a tsunami sit in the waters of Iquique, Chile, on Wednesday, April 2. A magnitude-8.2 earthquake struck off the coast of northern Chile on Tuesday, April 1, triggering small landslides and prompting evacuations of coastal areas. At least six people were reported dead. (Reuters) --A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Chile late yesterday in the wake of the fatal major quake on Tuesday, but there were no reports of damage and a precautionary tsunami alert along the coast and in neighbouring Peru was called off. It was the strongest of several aftershocks that followed the 8.2-magnitude quake blamed for six deaths in the same region on Tuesday. Chile’s emergency office Onemi said there were no initial reports of casualties or serious damage from the latest quake. President Michelle Bachelet, who had gone to the area to inspect the damage from the earlier quake, was evacuated from her hotel in the city of Arica. “I was evacuated like all the citizens and we have come here (to Arica’s emergency office) to see if there is any way we can help,” she said late last night. The area is home to many of the biggest mines in Chile, the world’s top copper producer. A spokeswoman for Glencore Xstrata’s and Anglo American’s Collahausi mine said the “process of normalisation” it was following after Tuesday’s quake was continuing without problems. Other mines could not immediately be reached for comment, but they were generally unaffected by Tuesday’s stronger quake. Chile’s arid, mineral-rich north is sparsely populated, with most of the population concentrated in the port towns of Iquique and Arica, near the Peruvian border. The new quake was located 12 miles (19 km) south of Iquique at a relatively shallow depth of 12.4 miles (20 km), the US Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said while there was no widespread tsunami threat, the latest tremor could generate a local tsunami. The ports of Iquique, Arica, Patache and Tocopilla remained closed early on Thursday. Some of them ship metals, suggesting exports and trade flows may be disrupted. The bigger earthquake on Tuesday triggered a tsunami with 2m (7ft) waves and officials said it caused six deaths. More than 2,600 homes were damaged and fishing boats along the northern coast were smashed up. However, most infrastructure held up. Chile is one of the most earthquake-prone areas of the world. In 1960, southern Chile was hit by a 9.5 quake, the strongest in modern history. Ms Bachelet, who was sworn in as president less than a month ago, is conscious of the stinging criticism she faced near the end of her first term in office in 2010, when her government was seen to have responded inadequately to a massive 8.8-magnitude quake and tsunami that killed 526 people. Residents in the area of the latest quakes have been expecting “the big one” for many years. The Nazca and South American tectonic plates rub up against each other just off the coast of Iquique, where a “seismic gap” has been building up. An unusually large number of tremors in the area in recent weeks had led authorities to reinforce emergency procedures, while residents bought rations and prepared for an eventual evacuation. However, the mega-quake they had been fearing may still be yet to happen, said Paul Earle, a seismologist at the US Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center. “[Tuesday’s] earthquake was not large enough to release the stress on the whole area where they believe the seismic gap is,” he said earlier yesterday. “It’s going to take some time to evaluate the effect of this earthquake on that region. But people should stay prepared.” irishtimes/news/world/chile-hit-by-7-6-magnitude-earthquake-aftershock-1.1748673 ＣＮＮは「 南米チリ沖で１日夜に起きたマグニチュード（Ｍ）８．２の地震で、２日までに６人の死亡が確認された。地震の影響で地滑りや停電、津波などの被害が発生している。当局によると、６人のうち２人はがれきなどの下敷きになって死亡。残る４人の直接の死因は心臓発作だという。避難した人は９２万８０００人に上った。米地質調査所（ＵＳＧＳ）の専門家は、『同地は地震活動が活発な地域にあり、米カリフォルニア州と同様の建築基準が徹底されていた。そのために、これほど大きな地震だったにもかかわらず建物の被害が少なくて済み、多くの死傷者を出さずに済んだと思われる』と指摘する。震源に近い北部の港湾都市イキケ周辺では、住宅など２５００棟以上に深刻な構造的被害が出た。地元当局者は、政府の補助金で建てられた質の高くない住宅が被害に遭ったと話している。２日に現地を視察したバチェレ大統領は当局の対応を評価し、『我々が力を合わせて適切な対応を取り、地域で策定した計画に従えばうまくいくという証しだ』と語った。チリでは多数の犠牲者を出した過去の地震や津波を教訓に建築基準を徹底させ、沿岸地域の住民に対する津波の危険性の周知活動や避難訓練にも力を入れてきた。イキケ周辺では地滑りによって複数カ所で道路が破壊されたほか、一部地域は停電や電話の障害に見舞われ、津波も観測された。被災地には３００人あまりの救援部隊が派遣されている。それでも住民らは平静を保っており、刑務所から脱走した２９３人のうち１３１人は自主的に戻った」と伝えています。 cnn.co.jp/world/35046033.html NHKは「南米のチリでは、日本時間の３日も前日の巨大地震の余震とみられる地震が相次ぎ、震源に近い町では７０センチ余りの津波が押し寄せ、現地の住民は不安な時間を過ごしています。日本時間の２日に起きたチリの沖合を震源とするマグニチュード８．２の巨大地震では、チリ北部のイキケで２メートル余りの津波が観測されたほか、倒壊した建物の下敷きになるなどして６人が死亡しました。地震発生から一夜明けた２日、イキケに入ったＮＨＫの取材班によりますと、港では係留されていた漁船７０隻余りが津波によって転覆したり、海岸に打ち上げられたりしていました。また、津波が港の周辺に流れ込み、一部の道路が水につかったままになっているほか、ロイター通信によりますと、およそ２６００棟の住宅が、地震で一部壊れるなどしたということです。現地では日本時間の３日になっても、前日の巨大地震の余震とみられる地震が続いていて、日本時間の午前１１時前にマグニチュード６．４の地震があったのに続いて、午前１１時半すぎ（現地時間の午後１１時半すぎ）にはマグニチュード７．６の地震があり、震源に近いイキケでは、７０センチ余りの津波が観測されました。チリ政府は一時、高台への避難を呼びかけ、多くの住民は深夜にもかかわらず、飲料水や薬が入ったバッグを持って、速やかに避難していました。余震が続くなか、住民は不安な時間を過ごしています」と伝えています。 www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20140403/k10013476601000.html
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 08:01:10 +0000
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