Chile Earthquake/Tsunami Watch: Follow-Up

2100 GMT: The death toll has risen to 708 --- 541 in Maule Region, 64 in Bio Bio Region, 103 elsewhere. President Michelle Bachelet said, "We face a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude that it will require a giant effort" to recover.

Amidst the tragedy, a story of a miracle escape: a man and his 7-year-old daughter fell 13 floors in their apartment building but suffered only cuts and bruises.


1330 GMT: The latest from Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city and the population centre most affected by the earthquake: rescuers moving towards residents trapped in a collapsed apartment building, thousands homeless on the streets, and reports of looting.

1150 GMT: A Welcome Error. Geophysicist Gerard Fryer assesses, "We expected the waves to be bigger in Hawaii, maybe about 50 percent bigger than they actually were. We'll be looking at that."

1135 GMT: Reports of a strong aftershock in Santiago.

1015 GMT: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has cancelled the tsunami alert for all countries in the region.

0800 GMT: Highest waves hitting Japan are reported at 145 centimetres (just under 5 feet).

0735 GMT: Following up on Saturday's 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile and the threat of tsunami across the Pacific....

In Chile, President Bachelet estimates that two million people have been affected. More than 300 have been killed, and 15 are missing. The earthquake was 700 to 800 times stronger than that in Haiti in January, but it was off-shore and at a much greater depth (21.7 miles vs. 8.1 miles in Haiti). Buildings have collapsed, especially in Chile's second city Concepcion, the major north-south highway has been cut in several places, and Santiago airport has been badly damaged.

There have been 76 aftershocks in Chile and Argentina, killing two more people.

Today’s Chile Earthquake/Tsunami Watch: LiveBlog

The feared "big" tsunami has not materialised in most sites in the Pacific. The tidal surge in Hawaii was much smaller than feared; in California, the rise was between 13 and 41 centimetres (5 and 17 inches). The highest wave so far in Japan has been 40 centimetres (16 inches).

Google has launched a Chile Person Finder and a site on Chile Earthquake Relief explains how assistance can be given.