One Million Evacuated As Huge Quake Strikes Off Chile Coast

by Phil Helsel, Andrew Rudansky        and Hanna Guerrero

More than one million people were evacuated from their homes after a massive 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the central coast of Chile Wednesday evening.

At least 10 people were killed by the quake that damaged buildings and slammed powerful waves into coastal towns, causing flooding in some.

"It's been awful," Maria Angelica Leiva from the coastal town of Navidad told Reuters. "We ran out of the house with our grandchildren."

She added that it was "all very dark" and she was hoping the sea hadn't reached their home.

The quake struck at 6:45 p.m. off the coast about 29 miles west of Illapel, a small city to the northwest of the country's capital Santiago, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). It said the earthquake was the largest to hit near that location in over 100 years.

Illapel Mayor Denis Cortes told TV Chile that the town of around 30,000 was without power.

Chile's President Michelle Bachelet said Wednesday night that a 35-year-old woman was killed in a roof collapse in Illapel and a 20-year-old woman was killed by falling rock in Monte Patria. An 87-year-old man in Maipu also died of a heart attack, she said. At least two more were dead.

"Once again we're having to deal with another harsh blow from nature," she said in a televised statement