Chile quake

News of the magnitude 8.8 earthquake in south-central Chile is a shock to me because I visited the country several years ago.

My primary destination there was Iquique, a city in the north of the country, to visit family members who were living there at the time. Due to this my only experience of Santiago was the international airport there. (At least at that time, all international flights from outside of the region ended at that airport; persons going to other cities in the country then transferred to domestic flights. Likewise all international flights to destinations outside of the region originated at that airport.) I recall it being a very nice facility, and have seen in news reports it is now closed to all operations because of the quake.

While I was seeing my family members in Iquique, there was a moderate earthquake. The epicenter was well outside the city, so, as I recall, there was no damage in the city. But it occurred at night and was long enough to wake me up and still feel a sharp jolt.

Obviously this new quake will most likely have caused huge damages and much will be learned as the day develops. I just tried bringing up both the English and Spanish versions of the Santiago airport's web site; the browser failed to find either, obviously indicating telecommunications problems.