A major earthquake rocked a large area of northern Chile, and it was felt in the capital of Santiago. (AP)
CONCEPCION, Chile (AP) - Authorities in Chile say yesterday's
earthquake has left about 300 dead, and they expect that number
will continue to climb.
More than 100 died in Concepcion, a city of more than 200,000
near the epicenter. The city's streets are littered with rubble and
inmates have escaped from a nearby prison.
Rescuers are trying to reach people trapped in a new, 15-story
apartment building that toppled backward.
Police used water cannon and tear gas to scatter people who
forced open the doors of a supermarket, hauling away everything
from diapers to a kitchen stove.
Across the river in San Pedro, looters cleared out a shopping
mall. A video store was set on fire, automatic teller machines were
broken open, a bank was robbed and a supermarket emptied.
Ninety aftershocks of magnitude 5 or greater followed the
initial quake, which measured 8.8. One aftershock was nearly as
powerful as the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January.