Chile counts at least five deaths from Tuesday night's massive earthquake

USGS

Chile counts at least five deaths from Tuesday night's massive earthquake
(Image credit: USGS)

At least five people are dead following the 8.2 magnitude earthquake that hit off northern Chile Tuesday night. According to Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo, the fatalities were caused by people being crushed or suffering heart attacks.

The Associated Press reports that close to 300 inmates escaped from a women's prison in the port city of Iquique, and the military will send a plane filled with special forces to help keep looting at bay. In several locations, landslides blocked roads, making it difficult for people to evacuate low-lying areas. In Arica, 86 miles from the epicenter, hospitals are treating patients for minor injuries. About 90 percent of the town's residents are without electricity, and some adobe homes have been destroyed.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.