RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service

Situation Update No. 3

Posted:2010-03-11, 17:03:39 [UTC]

Ref.no.: EQ-20100311-25286-CHL

Situation Update No. 3
On 2010-03-11 at 18:07:08 [UTC]

Event: Earthquake
Location: Chile Libertador General Bernardo OʼHiggins Santa Cruz

Strong aftershocks in Chile on Thursday have not so far caused a tsunami, but officials are maintaining an alert in some coastal regions, the country's new Interior minister, Rodrigo Hinzpeter said. As the ground shook and buildings swayed, conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera took office as Chile's president on Thursday, tasked with rebuilding after a massive earthquake killed hundreds just 12 days ago. A series of strong aftershocks rattled central Chile minutes before Pinera swore in at the Congress building in the coastal city of Valparaiso. Latin American presidents and other dignitaries looked nervously at the ceiling but the inauguration went ahead as planned. Pinera said initial reports were of significant damage in the city of Rancagua 100 km (60 miles) south of the capital Santiago. Workers in the capital briefly evacuated swaying office towers and took refuge in the streets. In Constitucion, which was heavily damaged in the 8.8-magnitude quake on Feb 27, residents scrambled for the hills on Thursday after the navy issued a tsunami alert and ordered people away from beaches. The earthquake 12 days ago killed nearly 500 people and damaged infrastructure across much of south-central Chile, threatening Pinera's election pledges to boost economic growth to 6 percent a year and to create a million jobs. "It's time to get to work," Pinera said after taking office, adding that he had ordered his interior minister to personally oversee the recovery work of state emergency office Onemi, heavily criticized for its handling of the earthquake and an ensuing tsunami that devastated coastal villages.