| Chile – "In the provincial house it was like being on a ship in a stormy sea" |
| Chile – Salesians celebrate 125 years serving the young |
(ANS - Santiago)- An earthquake registering 8.2 on the Richter scale struck the northern area of Chile on 2 April and a second shock of 7.6 degrees was felt the following day. After a first quick enquiry, it seems that nobody was injured in the Salesian centres. Major damage was reported in Iquique and Alto Hospicio, where the Salesian parish was hit.
The Salesian works that were worst hit were those in the North - the Don Bosco College, the Sagrado Corazón Sanctuary in Iquique and theDomingo Savio College and the parish of Nuestra Señora de la Paz in Alto Hospicio.
After the earthquake of 8.2 on Tuesday and the second shock last night, the Vice-Provincial, Fr Galvarino Jofre, contacted Fr Miguel Rojas, Rector at Iquique. He reported on both occasions that the religious communities are fine even though they had to evacuate during the night to a safe area where they remained until the tsunami warning was withdrawn the following morning.
Finally Fr Rojas said that the road to Alto Hospicio is impassable so we do not know the exact extent of the damage in the Nuestra Señora de la Paz parish and in the Santo Domingo Savio College.
The Provincial of Chile, Fr Alberto Lorenzelli, is in Rome participating in the 27th General Chapter of the Salesians. He has been in contact with the Salesians of Iquique.
Fr Juan Pablo Lyon, parish priest of Alto Hospicio, reported that at first glance there seemed to be no serious damage at the Don Bosco College of Iquique. He says many of the houses in Alto Hospicio handed over recently by the government have been damaged.
Despite the lack of communication with the faithful of the parish, Fr Juan Pablo was aware of some damage to the main church and the parish halls. It is thought that this damage is due in large part to the saline soil of Alto Hospicio, which is the reason why buildings like the public housing were already presenting problems.
After Iquique, the Don Bosco College of Antofagasta is the Salesian house furthest north. It is very far from the epicentre of the earthquake and the aftershock, and consequently there was less of an impact. However, the Mayor decided to suspend classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. Moreover, the college is built in a safe area and has served as a refuge for people who have their houses near the coastal area. The resumption of school activities is subject to the decision of the regional authorities.
Published 04/04/2014
