Eleven dead in Chile quake ‘nightmare’

epaselect epa04934965 Chileans pass a wrecked car pushed by strong waves, after a magnitude 8.4 Richter scale earthquake, in Coquimbo, Chile, 17 September 2015. According to the Chilean Interior Minister, Jorge Burgos, 17 September the death toll from the 8.4-magnitude quake that hit parts of Chile 16 September has risen to eight, while one person remains missing. The Government has put the entire Chilean coast on high alert over tsunami fears leading to the evacuation of a million people. The sea advanced inland at several points on the Chilean coast, mainly in the region of Coquimbo, where authorities were waiting for daylight to assess the damage caused, as more than 500 people spent the night in shelters. EPA/ALEJANDRO PIZARRO CHILE OUT

Rattled Chileans have recounted a night of terrifying aftershocks after a powerful quake struck offshore, killing at least 11 and triggering tsunami waves that ravaged stretches of the coast.

The 8.3-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday evening was the sixth most powerful in the history of geologically volatile Chile and the strongest anywhere in the world this year, officials said.

Close to one million people were evacuated from Pacific coastal areas as a precaution as Chile sounded a tsunami alert, with warnings issued as far away as Japan and New Zealand.

Residents took refuge on high ground as aftershocks jolted the region all night and into Thursday.

“It was a nightmare,” Maria Ramirez told AFP as she swept up debris outside her house in the badly-hit coastal town of Illapel.

“We felt the tremors for a long time, too long. And then all the aftershocks – it was terrible,” she said.

“I couldn’t stay standing, but luckily we made it out alive.”

The quake occurred at a shallow depth, and the epicentre was located 228km north of the capital Santiago, a city of 6.6 million people, where there were scenes of pandemonium as thousands fled swaying buildings.

In the hours that followed, tsunami waves of up to 4.5m came crashing onshore in the region of Coquimbo, causing extensive damage to the port itself.

The fishing village of Tongoy was among the worst-hit, with television footage showing entire seafront areas destroyed.

President Michelle Bachelet headed to the quake-hit area on Thursday to assess the relief effort.

“We know this is a very difficult situation,” Bachelet said after meeting with a group of local fishermen in Coquimbo.

“But we wish to salute the enormous co-operation of the population which ensured that – despite the scale of this earthquake – there are thankfully few victims.”

The most recent toll from the quake stood at 11 dead, with nine others injured, according to National Emergency Office (ONEMI) director Ricardo Toro.

The last known victim was a man killed in Coquimbo.

Small waves have been recorded around the east coast of New Zealand following the massive earthquake off the Chile coast.

Chatham Islands was the area to receive the largest waves, with heights reaching about 50cm while other gauges around the country measured less than 30cms.

The first wave was recorded as reaching Chatham Islands just before midnight and the local council reported repeated ebbing and flowing of the tide, along with ocean noises associated with tide surge.

Some residents living near to the coast relocated to the higher ground as a precaution.

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