Saturday’s quake was 700 to 800 times stronger, but at a greater depth — 21.7 miles — compared to the shallow 8.1-mile depth of the Haiti quake, which contributed to much of the damage there.
Coastal Chile has a history of deadly earthquakes, with 13 quakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher since 1973, the U.S. Geological Survey said. As a result, experts said that newer buildings are constructed to help withstand the shocks.
Still, the damage from Chile’s earthquake was widespread. A 15-story high rise near the southern city of Concepcion collapsed; the country’s major north-south highway was severed at multiple points; and the capital city’s airport was closed after its terminal sustained major damage
As the sun set in Chile on Saturday, a picture of the immense structural damage wrought by an early morning earthquake had come clearly into focus, with the nation’s president estimating that 2 million people had been affected in some way.
More than 300 people were killed, according to Chile’s Office of Emergency Management, and 15 are missing.
