HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

April 17, 2012. Strong earthquake rocks Chile

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake shook central Chile late on April 16th, prompting authorities to order the evacuation of a stretch of coastline and causing hundreds of people in Santiago to flee buildings in panic. There were no reports of major damages, but authorities in Valparaiso said an elderly man died of a heart attack during the quake. The earthquake's epicenter was 42km (26 miles) northeast of Valparaiso. The quake knocked out power and telephone service in various parts of Santiago, but the National Emergency Office of the Interior Ministry said that it had received no reports of major damage or injuries so far. There were reports of rock slides on a highway outside of Santiago, and residents of Valparaiso said the facades of some old buildings had fallen. Public Works Minister Laurence Golbourne said that that Chile's airports and roadways appeared undamaged.