The death toll in the powerful earthquake that hit Chile has risen to 122, 24 Horas local TV channel reported, citing Chilean President-elect Sebastian Pinera on Saturday.
Chilean incumbent President Michelle Bachelet has canceled her trip to Uruguay due on Tuesday where she was to participate in the inauguration of Uruguayan President-elect Jose Mujica.
The 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Latin American country in the early hours of Saturday. The tremor occurred some 89 kilometers (55.3 miles) to the north of Chile's second largest city Concepcion, some 341 kilometers (212 miles) from the capital of Santiago.
Several aftershocks, including one that measured 6.9 on the Richter scale, followed the initial quake.
The Santiago Airport has been shut down for at least 24 hours as the result of the earthquake. Many parts of Santiago and Concepcion are without power.
Some 50 nations have been placed under a tsunami advisory. Areas of concern are the Hawaiian Islands, French Polynesia, Australia, and Japan. Russia's Far Eastern region was also advised, but local emergency authorities have stated that the region is in no danger.
MOSCOW, February 27 (RIA Novosti)
