News / More

Death toll from earthquake in Chile climbs to 10

Thursday, 17 September 2015 4:37 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 17 September 2015 5:51 PM ]

Residents in the town of Illapel gather around a fire after an earthquake hit areas of central Chile. (Photo by Reuters)

Two more people have been found dead following the 8.3-magnitude earthquake that struck off the Chilean coast, says the country’s interior minister, who had earlier given a death toll of eight.

"Two more Chileans are known to have died," Jorge Burgos said on Wednesday after the three-minute-long temblor set off tremors which were felt across South America as far as the Argentinean capital of Buenos Aires, earlier in the day.

Chilean Minister of Interior Jorge Burgos (AFP photo)

The natural disaster has forced the evacuation of more than a million people in the country and triggered a tsunami that swamped several coastal towns, including Tongoy, where homes and businesses were destroyed.

Tsunami warnings have been issued for the Andean nation's entire Pacific coast as well as New Zealand and Japan.

Burgos’ deputy Mahmoud Aleuy billed the quake as the sixth most powerful one in the history of Chile and the strongest to have taken place anywhere in the world so far this year.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has urged the people who had been evacuated to stay on high ground until authorities could evaluate the situation.

"Once again we must confront a powerful blow from nature," said Bachelet, addressing the nation, which has endured devastating floods in the north, wildfires in the south, and two volcano eruptions over the past year.