Waves of up to 4.5 meters (15 feet) pounded Chile’s coastal areas on Wednesday (September 16), the navy said, after a powerful 8.3 earthquake struck off the coast, flooding some coastal areas.
At least three people were killed by the quake about 280 km (175 miles) north of Santiago, the biggest earthquake since 2010 to hit the world’s top copper producer.
In the coastal city of Estero, in Vina del Mar, images showed high tide rushing in.
High waves also hit nearby Concon, also in Vina del Mar, where the force of the water tore down fences and dragged debris down the street.
Area resident Alfonso said when he saw the strength of the water, he picked up his dog and ran as fast as he could.
“It wasn’t a wave; it was like a high tide, and it was strong. I look back and it was coming with that gas tank and our two gas tanks and I grabbed my dog and ran,” he said.
The tide also damaged homes, buildings and injured several people. while some areas, like the inland city of Illapel, about 46 km (28 miles) from the epicenter, were without electricity or drinking water.
People fled their damaged homes and poured into the streets.
Less than an hour after the initial earthquake, three aftershocks all greater than magnitudes 6.1 struck the region and smaller quakes continue to shake the area, USGS reported.
State copper miner Codelco said it had suspended mining operations at its Andina mine and that it had evacuated workers from its Ventanas smelter. Antofagasta Plc said it had halted operations at its flagship Los Pelambres copper mine and would wait until daybreak to assess damage.
Tsunami advisories were issued for parts of South America and as far away as Hawaii, California and French Polynesia.
Waves of 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) hit the Peruvian coast, and waves of less than 1 meter were expected in Hawaii around 3:06 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (1306 GMT) on Thursday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
In April 2014, an 8.2-magnitude quake struck near the northern city of Iquique.
In February 2010, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake in central-southern Chile triggered a massive tsunami, and more than 500 people were killed.
In the hours following that quake, President Michelle Bachelet and other government officials misjudged the extent of damage and declined offers of international aid. That delayed the flow of assistance to disaster areas, leaving many survivors feeling they had been abandoned by the government.
Compounding matters, the Chilean navy’s catastrophe-alert system failed to warn the population of impending tsunamis, leaving hundreds who survived the initial quake to be engulfed by massive waves that followed.
Bachelet´s government was also slow to prevent looting following the quake.