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SANTIAGO, Chile--A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the coast of Chile early Saturday, killing at least 214 people, rattling the southern half of the country for more than a minute, and triggering a tsunami that raced across the Pacific ocean.

The quake, one of the biggest ever measured, struck just after 3:30 a.m. local time, toppling buildings, collapsing roads, and cutting off power and telecommunications services throughout much of the southern half of Chile.

In the hours after the initial quake, felt nearly 2,000 miles away in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the region shook from at least 10 additional aftershocks, and the country's coastline was hammered by waves that swelled more than six feet above their normal height, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Eyewitnesses in the coastal region of Maule, near the quake's epicenter and where most of the early casualties were reported, said houses "simply disappeared." Government officials said that up to 80% of some towns in the region were destroyed by the shock and consequent waves. A woman at a shelter in Iloca Maule said: "When the waves came, we ran for the hills."

Chile, a long mountainous country nestled between the towering Andes and the Pacific Ocean, is accustomed to seismic activity and has suffered some of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded. It will be days, though, before the full impact can be determined of the latest shock, the country's worst in 50 years.

In addition to mounting casualties, authorities will assess significant damage to roadways, ports, and other major infrastructure essential to a country that ranks as the world's biggest exporter of copper, a major producer of other metals and minerals, and one of the most stable economies in Latin America.

The epicenter was pinpointed offshore, 70 miles northeast of Concepción, Chile's second-biggest city. As aftershocks rocked southern Chile hours after the first quake, authorities rushed to assess casualties and damages to roads, power and phone grids. Relief organizations, including the Chilean Red Cross and World Vision, were also preparing to mobilize.
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People observed a highway destroyed in an earthquake in Santiago, Chile, on Saturday.
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8.8-Magnitute Earthquake Hits Chile
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A fatal magnitude 8.8 earthquake strikes south-central Chile, toppling buildings and triggering a tsunami. Video courtesy of Reuters.

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Speaking on local television, President Michelle Bachelet said authorities had re-established contact with all areas affected by the quake, the country's worst in 50 years. She said authorities, well-practiced in disaster recovery, had adequate resources to manage the initial response. Chile's military, with capable engineers versed in emergency bridge-building and other disaster repairs, was mobilized quickly.

"The system is functioning," said the president. "People should remain calm. We're doing everything we can with all the forces we have."

While Chile's geology makes it prone to earthquakes, its healthy economy and strong government institutions give it some advantages in responding to them, said Patricio Navia, a Chilean political scientist at New York University. In terms of civil defense response to quakes, "Chile would be more comparable to Japan or California than Haiti," Navia said.

Still, government officials were surprised at the enormity of the quake. "Road damage was worse than what I expected," said Sergio Bitar, Chile's public works minister, at a press conference.

The minister inspected the roads south of Santiago, with the worst damage at an interchange about 50 kilometers south of the capital. The government asked residents and tourists not to travel, even from quake-stricken regions, because people attempting to return to Santiago were causing massive traffic jams.

Bachelet, who is in her final weeks in office, has proven herself to be at her best when the going gets tough, having orchestrated a strong response by Chile to the global economic crisis that erupted in 2008.

"She's really in charge and her cabinet is very good at responding to crises," said Navia, noting the president's presence at the National Disaster Center within a couple hours of the quake. Bachelet's successor, Sebastián Piñera, scheduled to take office March 11, said the quake had dealt "a hard blow to Chilean society."

In Santiago, the capital city, 200 miles northeast of the epicenter, a car dangled from a collapsed overpass, the national Fine Arts Museum was damaged, and the parking lot of a two-story apartment building collapsed, smashing about 50 cars whose alarms rang through the rubble.

At the Four Points hotel in the city's Providencia neighborhood, the quake began with a small vibration that quickly surged into a violent shake, knocking lamps off tables and artwork off the walls. Tourists fled the hotel via a stairwell as water cascaded into the building through cracks in a shattered rooftop. Outside, tourists gathered in the dark while revelers poured out of nightclubs.

Beyond the city, on the verge of tears, Rafael Galleguillos said he had no idea how he survived a plunge off the side of an overpass that had collapsed on a highway operated by Vespuccio Norte Express, linking the country's international airport with the capital. A total of seven cars fell off the edge of the overpass, Galleguillos said.

After the drivers helped one another escape from the wreckage, Galleguillos complained that the overpass hadn't weathered the quake. "You pay tolls and taxes and you expect safety," he said. Vespuccio Norte Express couldn't be reached for comment Saturday.

After the quake, the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a "widespread" tsunami warning for all Pacific nations, saying that "sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated" that "could have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter and could also be a threat to more distant coasts."

As the surge from the quake rolled across the ocean, residents of coastlines where it could hit were preparing for the swell. In Hawaii, where the first waves were expected before mid-day local time, lines formed at supermarkets, as people stocked up on water, food, and batteries. 8.8-Magnitude Quake Hits Chile - WSJ.com
Having suffered so much since the Jan. 12 quake, many grieving Haitians expressed their heartfelt condolences. President Rene Preval went to the Chilean embassy in Port-au-Prince to give his personal message of sympathy. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet was just in Haiti earlier this month to get a first hand look at the damage.

Haitians also marveled at the much lower death toll in Chile and said it was evidence that Haiti needed to enact much stricter building codes.

"There are very good structures in Chile, built correctly. That's why not more people died," said Moise Philogene, a 40-year-old unemployed lawyer. Mr.Philogene said he didn't know much about science, but supposed there was a connection between the two quakes. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...332354656.html