Magnitude 8.3 earthquake hits off the coast of Chile

PanARMENIAN.Net - A magnitude 8.3 earthquake hit off the coast of Chile on Wednesday, September 16 killing five people and forcing 1 million to flee their homes, Reuters reports.

The quake shook buildings in the capital city of Santiago, about 280 km (175 miles) to the south, and flooded some coastal areas under a tsunami warning.

President Michelle Bachelet said she planned to travel to the areas worst affected by the quake, the biggest to hit the world's top copper producer since 2010.

Television images showed panicked people gathered in streets lined with damaged buildings, while big waves flooded roads in some cities along the coast.

Operations were suspended at two major copper mines operated by Codelco [CODEL.UL] and Antofagasta PLC (ANTO.L) that generate annual capacity of more than 600,000 tonnes.

Copper prices on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 rose to two-month highs in early Asian trading as worries about supply disruptions offset lingering concerns about demand from China amid copper's longest rout in years.

The quake also damaged homes, buildings and injured several people and was felt as far away as Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Frequent aftershocks continued to shake the country.

Tsunami advisories were issued for parts of South America, Hawaii, California and French Polynesia, although waves are generally expected to be small.