UN Monitors Developments in Aftermath of Massive Earthquake in Chile

The death toll is 214 and rising.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

(SANTIAGO, Chile) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he is keeping a close eye on the situation in the Pacific Ocean after a huge earthquake rocked Chile this morning, threatening to send tsunamis crashing through the region.

“The Secretary-General expresses his condolences to those who have lost family and friends and wishes those injured a speedy recovery,” reads a statement attributable to his spokesperson.

According to media reports a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake shook the southern Andes, killing nearly 150 people.

“The Secretary-General is very closely monitoring developments, including the risk of Pacific Rim tsunamis, after the huge earthquake in Chile,” reads his statement.

Mr. Ban is also seeking to contact the United Nations' Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), based in Santiago, the capital of Chile, for an assessment of the earthquake and information on UN staff.

In addition, the UN system, through its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), is on standby to offer rapid assistance to the Chilean Government and people.