Emergency Response Team on Standby as it Monitors Situation in Chile

01 March 2010

International Medical Corps is monitoring the situation in Chile and in areas in the Pacific basin where tsunami warnings have been issued, following an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck early Saturday.

Emergency Response Teams are preparing to deploy to Chile and potential tsunami areas, and are gathering the necessary medicines and supplies.

The quake struck at 3:34 a.m. local time and was centred about 70 miles from Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city, at a depth of 22 miles. There were early reports of about 120 deaths, with the toll expected to rise. It downed buildings and houses in Santiago, about 200 miles away.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a warning for Chile and Peru, and a less-urgent tsunami watch for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica. Hawaii sounded tsunami-warning sirens as well.

International Medical Corps was on the ground in Haiti, treating patients, within 22 hours of that disaster. Today, teams are treating 1,000 patients a day throughout the earthquake-affected areas.

Chile is relatively well-equipped to respond to natural disaster and had deployed teams to Haiti to assist.

International Medical Corps' Emergency Response draws on 25 years experience in emergency settings, including last September's earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, the massive 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.  Donate to International Medical Corps by visiting www.internationalmedicalcorps.org.uk

International Medical Corps relieves the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster and disease by delivering vital health care services that focus on training, helping devastated populations return to self-reliance.