The devastating Earthquake in Chile

On Saturday morning at approximately 3:34am, a devastating earthquake lasting for two minutes, the worst earthquake in 50 years, struck Chile.
The last mega quake of 9.5 magnitudes struck in 1960, in the Southern city, Valdivia. This stood out recorded as the most powerful earthquake in the world.

Vital infrastructure sectors of Chiles functions like highways, bridges and airports suffered damag e due to power cuts. The epicenter is reported to have been Cauquenes, a Bio community near the Maule border. An 15-structure apartment block comprising of 24 units was damaged to the core of collapsing and several broken pieces of glass and cement scattered the streets downtown. Aftershocks continued with a 6.1 magnitude tremor that struck just before 8:30 am on Sunday morning. The beginning of a new school year set to begin on Monday will be halted for an additional week.The Chile earthquake also caused a halt to copper mines operations as a result of electricity cuts, Crude oil rose after the earthquake this weekend causing disruptions in copper supply from Chile, our biggest copper supplier. Copper is said to be the leading commodities sector indicator.

By Saturday afternoon, most businesses reopened. The metro system resumed operation on Sunday morning and the buses resumed service as well. Most are in the motion to resume with normal daily activities. The death toll continues to rise from an initial 300 to 708 last reported. They are in regions close by to the epicenter like Maule and Bio. Chilean authorities are focused on relief efforts on the most affected regions. About two thousand military personnel and police are deployed in recovery and rescue efforts and also to with a mission to maintain order in the disaster zone increasing in chaos. Further complications have been acts of looting in Santiago and Concepsion at pharmacies and supermarkets. People are in desperate need of tents, blankets, sleeping bags, food and water.

There are many who have been reported trapped in a building that collapsed in one of Chile’s largest cities, Concepsion. In Talcauona, a tsunami dumped a boat in the centre of the city and affected residences. Many coastal regions have suffered the exact consequences

President Michelle Bachelet declared a state of emergency and promised deployment of additional soldiers .It was also stated that international assistance will only be required after the overall damage has been fully assessed. . Authorities need about 48 to 72 hours to evaluate the actual scope of Chile’s earthquake disaster. The European commission has pledged 3.5 million US dollars.