Earthquake in Chile kills 82; death toll expected to rise

Translated by Brian Schwarz

Originally published Saturday, February 27, 2010 in "La Segunda Online" of Santiago, Chile (lasegunda.com) under the heading Terremoto sacude centro sur del país: gobierno confirma 82 muertos

SANTIAGO, CHILE – The Chilean government raised to 82 the number of deaths caused by the earthquake that shook the south central region of Chile this morning.

According to Minister of the Interior, Edmundo Pérez Yoma, 34 of the dead were reported in the region of Maule. He added that the death toll reached 13 in Santiago, 10 in the region of O’Higgons, four in Valparaiso and three in La Araucanía, some 415 miles to the south of Santiago.

In the region of Bío Bío, where the epicenter of the earthquake was reported early Saturday morning, 10 were confirmed dead. But according to sub-secretary of the Interior, Patricio Rosende, that figure is expected to rise.

For now communications problems persist, the official said, confirming too that the government declared a state of emergency for the entire area affected by the quake, including the regions of Valparaíso and La Araucanía, which spans some 500 miles of the country.

No property damage estimates have been given, however, the international airport in Santiago was closed due to some damages to its facilities and it has been reported that several secondary bridges have collapsed.

The quake, which registered a magnitude of 8.8 [on the Richter Scale], had its epicenter in the region of Biobío and was felt as far away as the capital Santiago, where it twisted the balconies of buildings, downed bridges, sparked fires and cut power, telephones and Internet service. These services are just this morning being partially restored.