On Saturday, February 27 Chile suffered a massive 8.8 earthquake. The cities closest to the epicenter, including Concepcion, Talcahuano and Temuco were most affected. Turismo Chile has released an update on how the country's infrastructure has been impacted following the disaster.
The desert region in the north of Chile was not affected by the quake and has not reported any damage.
Easter Island, 2,300 miles from the coast, was also not affected. Initially tsunami warnings were put into effect for the island but those have since been lifted.
Santiago's airport suffered structural damage to the terminal, but no damage has been reported on the runways. The airport is expected to reopen later this week. Electricity and phone lines have also been restored in Santiago. The cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar have reported damage and Vina del Mar's annual International Music Festival, which was underway, has been suspended.
The northern part of the Lakes and Volcanoes region as most affected. Authorities are assessing the full scale of the damage but basic essentials are slowly being restored. The southern part of the Lakes and Volcanoes region was not affected.
Patagonia, the southernmost part of the country, was also not affected by the quake.
Pablo Moll, executive director of Turismo Chile says, "Our thoughts and sentiments go out to the families who have lost loved ones. Chileans are a resilient people and we are hard at work to get the country back on its feet quickly. We look forward to continuing to welcome travelers and are making every effort to making them feel safe and secure."
