Chile Earthquake

Sadly there’s been another major earthquake – this time in Chile.

The quake, rating 8.8 on the scale, has killed at least 147 people and caused immense structural damage.

picture from BBC website

One things which has struck me though is the huge difference in loss of life compared to the earthquake which hit Haiti on January 12th. Geography has some part in this for sure, but perhaps the greatest difference comes from the fact that Haiti has suffered with minimal construction standards accepted as normal, and poor quality control. Effectively, over 200,000 people died in Haiti who would probably have survived in Chile.

It’s a sobering thought.