A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck south-central Chile early Saturday, killing at least 147 people, knocking down buildings, homes and hospitals, and triggering a tsunami. Local television TV Chile reported that a 15-storey building collapsed in the hardest-hit city of Concepcion, where cracks opened up in the streets. Buildings caught fire, road bridges collapsed and residents huddled in streets full of rubble of masonry and glass from destroyed homes. Many were terrified by powerful aftershocks and desperately trying to call friends and family. President Michelle Bachelet said there were more than 85 deaths just in the Maule region at the quake's epicenter, and that more were possible. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck 70 miles northeast of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles at 3:34 A.M. (0634 GMT). The capital Santiago, about 200 miles north of the epicenter, was also badly hit. The international airport was closed for at least 24 hours.
