Global General
Strong aftershocks rattle Chile, tsunami warning issued
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-12 01:49
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SANTIAGO - Three strong aftershocks rattled Chile on Thursday shortly before the inauguration of President Sebastian Pinera.
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 Journalists and invited guests to the inauguration of Sebastian Pinera as Chile's new president react to an aftershock a few minutes before the start of the ceremony inside Congress in Valparaiso March 11, 2010. Chile was hit by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake on Feb. 27 that killed hundreds. [Agencies] |
The first aftershock, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, took place at 11:41 local time (1541 GMT) and lasted 45 seconds. The epicenter was in the O'Higgins Region, immediately south of Chile's capital Santiago, according to the United States Geology Service.
Pinera was sworn in despite the aftershocks. But local radio reported that foreign dignitaries on hand for the inauguration were shaken by the aftershocks as they gathered outside the nation's legislature in Valparaiso.
The nation's National Emergency Office issued a tsunami warning for Valparaiso and Los Lagos, a coastal region that includes the Congress.
Local radio also said that mobile and fixed phone lines had been cut by the quake, but no deaths or strong damage were reported.
A destructive magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Chile on February 27, killing at least 529 people. Some 500 more people remain missing.
