Reuters-Chile Rocked By 5.3 Earthquake (Countdown Apocalypto?)

Image from Chile's 2010 earthquake: inhabitat.com

(Story reported by Reuters)

(Reuters) - A magnitude 5.3 earthquake rattled central Chile on Wednesday, shaking buildings in the capital Santiago, but there were no reports of any damage or injuries, the government said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck 45 miles north-northeast of the central Chilean port city of Valparaiso, at a depth of 15.3 miles.

Reuters witnesses said buildings swayed in Santiago, 75 miles miles to the east.

"There are no reports of any damage or injuries," a spokeswoman for state emergency office Onemi told Reuters.

Quake-prone Chile's economy is still recovering from a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake a year ago, which hammered towns, infrastructure and industries in south-central Chile and killed more than 500 people.

(Click here to read the full story on the Reuters.com website)

NY Times-Monster 8.9 Earthquake and Tsunami HIts Japan

photo credit: NHK, via Reuters TV

(Story reported by Kevin Drew for the NY Times)

A tsunami hit the coast of northeast Japan on Friday in the aftermath of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake about 80 miles offshore. Television images showed waves of more than 12 feet roaring inland. CNN reported that air and land transportation was severely disrupted.

There no immediate reports of deaths or injuries but the force of the waves washed away cars on coastal roads and crashed into buildings along the shore, The Associate Press reported.

A second major earthquake of 7.4 magnitude was reported as aftershocks shook the region.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was magnitude 8.9, which the agency labeled a “mega” quake. The tremor occurred at about 230 miles northeast of Tokyo and at a depth of about 15 miles.

The quake occurred at 2:46 p.m. Tokyo time and its location was off Honshu, Japan’s most populous island.

A tsunami warning was in effect for Japan, Russia, Marcus Island and the Northern Marianas, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Japan’s meteorological agency warned that a tsunami as high as 20 feet could strike the coast near Miyagi prefecture, closest to the epicenter.

The Associated Press reported that a large ship swept away by the tsunami rammed directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture, according to footage on public broadcaster NHK.

(Click here to read the full story on the NY Times.com website)