MARIA ELENA, Chile - A major earthquake crushed cars, damaged thousands of houses, blocked roads, and terrified people for hundreds of miles yesterday. Officials reported at least two deaths and more than 100 injuries.
The quake, which struck at 12:40 p.m., shook the Chilean capital 780 miles south of the epicenter, and was felt on the other side of the continent - in Sao Paulo, 1,400 miles to the east.
The US Geological Survey calculated the magnitude at 7.7. It was followed by several aftershocks, including three larger than magnitude 5. The University of Chile's Seismological Institute put the epicenter near Quillagua, a tiny desert village in the foothills of the Andes mountains.
"It was incredible. I thought my last day had come when I saw the mountain shaking under a large cloud of dust," Maria Ines Palete, a Quillagua resident, told the state television.
Two women were killed in the town of Tocopilla, 25 miles from the epicenter, when their houses collapsed, authorities said. Hospital director Juan Urrutia said at least 100 people were treated there for injuries or panic.
Hardest hit were the cities of Tocopilla and Maria Elena.
In Tocopilla, 100 houses were destroyed and another 2,500, or 40 percent of the city's total, were damaged, said presidential spokesman Ricardo Lagos Weber. Two sections of Tocopilla were evacuated and two schools were being used as shelters.
The Chilean government said it was flying 500 emergency housing units to Tocopilla and that they should be installed by today.
Lagos Weber said 1,200 homes were damaged in Maria Elena - or 70 percent of the city's total - and residents were without water, electricity, and phone service.
About 10 road workers were trapped near Tocopilla when a section of a tunnel they were repairing collapsed, but all were in good condition and rescuers were working to free them, officials said.
In Antofagasta, 105 miles south of the epicenter, police said at least 45 people were injured.
But reports were incomplete as government ministers boarded flights to the area. President Michelle Bachelet was expected to fly to northern Chile today.
