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8.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Chile Tuesday PM: McLarens CAT Team on Standby
An 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Northern Chile Tuesday night. The U.S. Geological Survey stated that the quake was reasonably shallow at 12.5 miles (20 km) below the seabed. The quake’s epicentre was approximately 100 km northwest of the mining port of Iquique – near the Peruvian border. While this earthquake was slightly less powerful than the 8.8 registered earthquake suffered in 2010, which was closer to central Chile and resulted in 526 deaths, the results could still be catastrophic. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that the quake generated a large tsunami – with the largest wave reported at about 2 meters so far. The Chilean navy reported that the first big wave pounded the coast within 45 minutes of the quake. As a result, a tsunami warning is in place for Chile and a number of other countries, including Peru and Ecuador. The government evacuated Chile’s northern coast and President Michelle Bachelet has declared the area a disaster zone after landslides blocked roads. The area has been on high alert in recent weeks after an unusually high number of tremors, and a series of aftershocks further frayed nerves in the early hours of Wednesday. Aftershocks may continue for some time and the risk of another earthquake is equally likely. The city of Iquique is more than 1,500 km north of Chile’s capital Santiago, where the quake was seemingly not felt. The extent of the damage remains unclear at this time; therefore, McLarens has activated a CAT team for the region and are committed to providing an immediate response to all instructions arising from this event. Organizations with interests in the impacted areas may contact their regular McLarens representative, or the McLarens Coordinators listed below, to place instructions or loss reports.
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Coordinators:
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