Chile: President Bachelet addresses nation following deadly earthquake

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet addressed the country from Santiago on Wednesday night following the magnitude 8.3 earthquake that hit a significant part of the country, killing at least five people and leaving more than 20 injured. "We are monitoring the situation on the coast in various ways, including through the armed forces. There are planes, helicopters that are flying over [the affected areas] to know the exact extent of the damage," Bachelet said, adding that "measures were taken very quickly as soon as the earthquake happened." Bachelet said that evacuations of people along the coast were carried out "very efficiently" and stated that the government was monitoring the situation in the affected areas through Chile's national emergency service ONEMI. The quake's epicentre occurred around 232 kilometres (144 miles) north-northwest of Santiago and had a depth of 33 kilometres (21 miles), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). ONEMI has confirmed that five people have lost their lives and over one million people have been evacuated nationwide. Reports also indicate that at least 20 more people have been injured. The earthquake along with four aftershocks resulted in waves of up to 4.3m (13ft) hitting coastal areas including Coquimbo and Tongoy which were heavily flooded. Bachelet said she will visit both towns on Thursday. Chile has now removed tsunami warnings in the De Los Lagos, Aysen and Magallanes regions.