5 dead, 1 million evacuated from the coast after 8.3 magnitude earthquake hits Chile

The scene in Chile where an earthquake struck Wednesday night.

(Image credit: Twitter.com/Buzzfeednews)

published 17 September 2015

At least five people are dead and 20 injured following a magnitude-8.3 earthquake that struck off the coast of northern Chile Wednesday night.

One million people have been evacuated from along the coast, and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet declared the Conquimbo and Tongoy regions disaster zones, saying troops would be sent to the areas to keep people from looting. Tsunami waves hit Tongoy 25 minutes after the quake, The Guardian reports, and shaking was felt as far away as Buenos Aires. In some areas of Chile, houses have collapsed, and reports of flooding have come in from coastal areas. The earthquake triggered tsunami alerts for Peru, California, Hawaii, and New Zealand, and at least 15 aftershocks have been reported.

The quake was the largest one to hit Chile since an 8.8 magnitude temblor struck in 2010, killing 500 people.

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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.