On 26th February, thousands in Chile were woken up at dawn by an earthquake of 8.8 Richter degrees. The catastrophe left at least 700 dead, hundreds injured and 2 million people being displaced.

The strong tremor was registered at 3:34 in the morning and affected the center and south area of the country. Damages in infrastructure and basic services have left the population with no electricity and water. Besides homes, there have also been bridges destroyed, bus terminals closed and damages in airports and hospitals.

At 6 a.m., the President of the Republic, Michele Bachelet, declared seven regions of the country a catastrophe zone.

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