SANTIAGO, Chile—Chile was rocked by a series of violent aftershocks on Thursday, causing panic and the disruption of the presidential inauguration ceremonies.
The first large aftershock stuck at 11:39 a.m. local time (9:39 a.m. EST), just as president-elect Sebastian Pinera was about to be sworn in. While the incoming and outgoing presidents and other podium officials showed no signs that anything out of the ordinary was happening, the ceremony was reportedly shortened.
The first quake registered 6.9 on the Richter scale, followed about 15 minutes later by another of magnitude 6.7 quake and 11 minutes later another at magnitude 6.0. By evening, roughly 15 shocks had occurred that registered at least 4.9 or higher on the Richter scale.
Original estimates for the first quake were reported as high as magnitude 7.2 but the numbers were later revised downward by the U.S. Geological Survey. The quakes occurred 90 miles southwest of the Chilean capital of Santiago.
