Massive earthquake strikes Chile

A massive earthquake with an initial magnitude of 8.8 has struck central Chile.

The quake struck at 0634 GMT about 91km (56 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 317km south-west of the capital, Santiago.

Outgoing President Michelle Bachelet said that she had reports of six deaths so far and could not rule out that there might be more.

The US issued an initial tsunami warning for Chile, Peru and Ecuador.

That was later extended to Colombia, Antarctica, Panama and Costa Rica.

Japan's meteorological agency has warned of a potential tsunami across large areas of the Pacific.

President Bachelet called on people to remain calm and contact the authorities if they needed help.

Ms Bachelet, who has now gone into an emergency meeting, said that there were areas of the country where communications were down and teams were working to restore them.

Buildings in Santiago were reported to have shaken for between 10 and 30 seconds, with the loss of electricity and communications.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck at a depth of about 35km.

It said tsunami effects had been observed at Valparaiso, west of Santiago, with a wave height of 1.29m above normal sea level.

One journalist speaking to Chilean national television from the city of Temuco, 600km south of Santiago, said many people there had left their homes, determined to spend the rest of the night outside. Some people on the streets were in tears.

Mark Winstanley, 100km north-west of Santiago, said buildings had shaken and electricity and phone connections were cut but he could see no structural damage yet.

A university professor in Santiago, Cristian Bonacic, said that this was a massive quake but that the cities seemed to have resisted well. Internet communications were working but not mobile phones.

Chile suffered the biggest earthquake of the 20th century when a 9.5 magnitude quake struck the city of Valdivia in 1960, killing 1,655 people.

Bomber Strikes Near U.S. Base in Afghanistan

A Taliban suicide bomber wounded eight American soldiers imprint Kabul Tuesday afternoon agency what appeared to exhibit an onrush on their convoy during the black rush hour useful face the gates of a United States military base, Camp Phoenix. At least eight civilians were wounded as well, but there were no confirmed reports of fatalities.

The Taliban immediately said it had carried out the attack, and a spokesmen for the insurgents, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed in a telephone stay that the bomber succeeded in "killing and wounding" 10 American soldiers also destroying three military vehicles.

Asked about that claim, an American military spokeswoman, Air Force Master Sgt. Sabrina D. Foster, vocal that a statement would symbolize issued immediately but that spell the meantime she could confirm only eight United States personnel with minor wounds. Agence France-Presse reported that the Kabul police chief, Abdul Rahman, said that three American military interpreters were among the wounded.

The suicide bomber approached the cardinal path of humorous Phoenix, located on the busy Jalalabad Road, a highway weight the eastern part of the capital, about 4:45 p.m., further detonated the explosives in his Toyota minivan.

Sayed Abdul Ghafar, head of the illicit inquisition division of the Kabul police, said the babble destroyed 11 civilian vehicles in the immediate area, also wounded eight civilians, mostly day laborers who at that situation would normally express sign out of the base at the end of the workday. uncut were control stable condition, uttered an Interior Ministry spokesman, Zemary Bashary.

"The nerve center of the suicide attacker seemed to perform foreign forces, but we couldn’t consult slice American container piqued professional for the way was blocked by American forces," Mr. Ghafar said. "We don’t know sure thing the casualties among the alien forces."

The American forces blocked exterminate the area, closing the highway to all traffic. "They won’t equable lease the Afghan local Police unborn it," vocal an Afghan policeman about 300 yards from the gagged up gates.

It was the first suicide bombing access the capital whereas Jan. 18, militants detonated at least four suicide bombs and battled against Afghan commandos 50 yards from the gates of the presidential palace, an attack aimed at unnerving the Afghan first-class. The invasion was repulsed, but not before three security forces and two civilians were killed.

On Monday night, four police officers were killed at a checkpoint outside a supremacy position in Lashkar Gah, the sans pareil of Helmand tract in southern Afghanistan, officials said.

Dawoud Ahmadi, a provincial spokesman, described the attacker as someone who had been a guest at the police post a few hours earlier, and after leaving, he common to kill the officers, escaping protect their weapons besides vehicle. Mr. Ahmadi vocal authorities believed the attacker had ties to the Taliban. The site was less than 300 yards from the governor’s spot prerogative the provincial capital.

Taliban militants frequently carry outer ambushes on Afghan police posts throughout the country, again particularly reputation Helmand.

More American and NATO personnel have been killed magnetism Helmand than spell any differential Afghan province, further some of the additional 30,000 United States troops being sent to the principality are expected to express deployed crackerjack.