The regions of Arica, Parinocota and Tarapacá in northern Chile have been declared catastrophe zones by President Michelle Bachelet, after the powerful 8.2 degrees earthquake which hit the northern region yesterday.
Bachelet, who met with the media last night to present the first official balance five hours after the earthquake which killed five people and caused considerable material damages in northern Chile, said she would travel to the most affected area to see the dimensions of the catastrophe and supervise help measures.
According to CNN, the earthquake, which happened at about 20:46, local time, about 60km from Iquique, caused slight landslides, energy cuts and a tsunami alert in the coasts, an alert which has already been called off except for Hawaii.
Chilean authorities have confirmed the death of at least five people, four men and one woman. Of these people, two died of heart attacks and the other three were crushed by rubble.
"The tsunami alert was issued on time and we saw an orderly evacuation of people. The country has face the first hours of this emergency. I would like to ask the people living in these regions to keep calm and follow the instructions of authorities and to do everything necessary to stay safe," said Chile's President last night during a message from the Palacio de la Moneda in Santiago, according to Euronews.
President Bachelet announced yesterday that the country's military had taken over public order to prevent looting and chaos, as well as to collaborate with the region's authorities.
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