Chile Earthquake Death Toll 723 and Climbing: Aftershocks and General Chaos Abound.  In the wake of Saturday’s 8.8 earthquake, the death toll in the Latin American country of Chile has steadily risen.  Yesterday, there was a little over 700 dead, and tonight the toll stands at 723.

The Wall Street Journal estimates that insured losses in the country of Chile could top $8 billion.  The quake experienced this weekend, in all actuality, could turn out much worse than the Haitian earthquakes.

It comes as no surprise that people are panicking.  The government told everyone to stay in their homes if they “looked secure”, however it’s understandable that many were afraid and thus stayed out on the streets.

It’s also understandable that there’s a general state of panic.  People are looting, rioting, and hurting one another. People want to make sure that they secure food and shelter for their families and will stop at nothing to ensure their survival.  It’s estimated that 1.5 million people have been displaced by the quakes, and aftershocks still abound.

Reports indicate that so far, no Americans have been confirmed dead in the earthquake. There are about 3,000 of the 18,000 Americans known to be in Chile that have not been in contact with American authorities.

Source:

ABC News

 Latin American country of Chile was ravaged by the massive earthquake, killing more than 300 and shattering the lives of more than 2 million people.  The Chile quake has been compared to an earthquake in the 1960’s, which prompted a tsunami in Hawaii which killed 61 people.

The Chile quake 2010 also caused a tsunami today on the American island of Hawaii, although the damage wasn’t as bad as was anticipated. The tsunami warnings have been canceled, at least for now.  However, on Friday there was an earthquake in Japan and in January there was an earthquake in Haiti, so people are getting a little spooked by what’s going on with Mother Nature.

The quake in Chile was centered deeper in the earth than the earthquake in Haiti, which when coupled with better Chilean building codes explains why today’s quake – 1,000 times stronger than Haiti’s quake – didn’t cause the devastation that Haiti experienced.

The entire Pacific Rim was on watch, and parts of Japan have been evacuated because of various risks associated with what’s going on with our tectonic plates.

Today’s earthquake in Chile prompted 76 aftershocks, the strongest of which was a 6.1 quake felt in Argentina.  The Argentinian quake killed two individuals so far.

The US has offered their aid to Chile in the aftermath of the quake.  There is a lot of devastation that must be dealt with.