Cobquecura

Cobquecura is a town and commune (Spanish: comuna) in the Ñuble Province of Chile's eighth region of Biobío (VIII Región de Biobío). The town is located on the northwest Pacific coast of the Ñuble Province about 420 km (261 mi) southwest of the national capital of Santiago. On February 27, 2010 Cobquecura was the epicenter of the huge earthquake and tsunami that hit Chile at 03:34 local time (06:34 UTC), rating a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale and lasting for about three minutes. According to preliminary reports, approximately 95% of households in the town were destroyed but there were no fatalities. According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Cobquecura spans an area of 570.3 km (220 sq mi) and...