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Piñera declares state of disaster
in central Chile
Strong 7.2-magnitude aftershock in
Rancagua
VALPARAISO, Chile, March 11. — Chilean President
Sebastián Piñera declared a state of disaster on
Thursday in the O’Higgins (central) region, after a
7.2-magnitude aftershock jolted the nation and
provoked alarm in the midst of his inauguration.
Latin
American presidents at the investiture
in Chile look at the cupola of
Parliament building during Thursday's
aftershock. |
Seven presidents and other international guests were
waiting for Piñera at Parliament, where in the early
morning Chile’s new legislators were sworn in.
Shortly before the ceremony began, those attending
the ceremony felt the first and most powerful of 12
tremors that have shaken central Chile.
Prince Felipe de Borbón of Spain; the presidents of
Paraguay, Fernando Lugo; Bolivia, Evo Morales;
Argentina, Cristina Fernández; Colombia, Álvaro
Uribe; Peru, Alan García; and Ecuador, Rafael
Correa, as well as various foreign ministers and
other diplomats, did not immediately give credence
to what was happening. At first they discretely
glanced at the lamps and floral arrangements
decorating the interior of the imposing building
that houses the Chilean Legislature, which were
shaking. Then, with nervous smiles, they commented
on the tremor, and finally, began to stand up, the
online daily ABC.es reported.
But
nervousness could be seen among many guests who left
the building before Piñera entered, as protocol
dictates. In a swift decision motivated by the
tsunami alert decreed by Naval authorities and civil
defense, the newly sworn-in Chilean president
decided to suspend the inaugural lunch, abruptly
ending the official activities.
Piñera decided to extend the disaster area to the
sixth region of Rancagua (central-south), the
epicenter of the latest tremor, and went there to
personally observe the damage.
After the Thursday morning aftershock, further
seismic movements were detected, of 4.9, 5.0 and
5.4-magnitude on the Richter scale, southwest of
Santiago de Chile, at depths of 35-43 kilometers.
Since the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked the
South American nation, 268 aftershocks have been
recorded, with the Thursday morning one being the
strongest.
Rancagua, Maule, and Bío Bío are the three regions
where the Chilean armed forces have joined with
civilian authorities to ensure public order and
assistance to earthquake victims, PL reports.
Translated by Granma International
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