Acehtsunami

A powerful 7.2 magnitude aftershock & 4 smaller quakes rocked central Chile on Thursday, on time a tsunami warning minutes previous to Sebastian Pinera was sworn in as the new president.

The quake, which struck 85 miles south of Valparaiso, was the main to hit Chile since a massive 8.8 magnitude quake & tsunami February 27 that killed minimum of 497 people. Chile’s national emergency office gives a tsunami warning for coastal areas after the 5 aftershocks rattled the country on its inauguration day.

2 aftershocks came before the giant one, and 2, measuring 6.9 & the other 6.0, followed, the US Geological Servey said. The major aftershock, measured at 7.2 by the US Geological Survey, set off scenes of panic between dignitaries gathered for Pinera’s opening ceremony, with 7 Latin American heads of state.

Pinera went ahead & took the oath of office at the seat of the Chilean Congress in Valparaiso, and the parliament was evacuated after local officials issued a tsunami alert. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, however, said there was no threat of a “destructive widespread tsunami.”