Major aftershocks rattle northern Chile

At least two powerful aftershocks shook northern Chile this morning. Two of the tremors measured 6.2 and 6.8 on the Richter scale and hit the same area that was knocked by a 7.7 magnitude quake yesterday.

Emergency aid has gradually arrived in the region and Chilean president Michelle Bachelet has vowed to help the affected area after she visited it this morning.

Yesterday’s tremor was strong enough to be felt 1400 miles away in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Also, the quake killed two and left 15,000 people homeless. Yet according to the Associated Press some Chileans took the incident in stride:

At a badly damaged restaurant Wednesday night, a dozen men drank beer by candlelight.

"What else can I do? I lost everything. So I'll just have a few drinks," said Samuel Araya, a 57-year-old miner in this town of 7,000 people.

Copper prices surged yesterday after production in mining-rich north Chile was affected by the earthquake.

Sources (English)- Bangkok Post, Reuters UK, the Latin Americanist, Guardian UK, Xinhua, New York Times, AFP, Associated Press

Sources (Spanish)- La Tercera

Image- Sydney Morning Herald (“Residents inspect a roof that collapsed on a car after an earthquake in Antofagasta, Chile”)