Family describes moments of fatal quake

CHILE (WIVB) - Events in Hawaii happened because of a deadly earthquake thousands of miles away in Chile.

Buildings and bridges have collapsed.

News 4's Tricia Cruz speaks with relatives living in Chile.

It took Tricia all day to get through to her parents, who live in Santiago.

Her mother's first words were, "We're okay. Thank God."

Tricia also found out her sister and nephew were near the earthquake's epicenter.

They won't be able to go home for at least a few days.

Her parents, Elena and Victor Cruz live in Santiago, Chile.

They said they had just gone to bed Saturday morning when the earthquake suddenly hit.

Elena said, "I was on the second floor and the second floor started shaking from left to right."

"I tried to get the keys to open the door and I couldn't get it open because I was shaking so much. My bed was from one end to the other and my end table kept moving," Elena explained.

The capital of Santiago is 200 miles northeast of Concepcion , the epicenter of the earthquake, which measured an 8.8 magnitude.

In Santiago, parking lots caved in and three hospitals collapsed.

"In Santiago, there's no metro working. The subway and the buses are very limited, maybe two or three."

But the damage in Concepcion is much much worse.

Homes, buildings and bridges have collapsed. Roads, airports and seaports suffered serious damage.

It's the worst earthquake to hit this country along the Pacific coast in 50 years.

At least 147 people have been killed so far.

Her sister, Elizabeth and her 3-year-old son, Benjamin live in Santiago.

They had decided to go away for the weekend and were in Talca.

Talca is 65 miles away from where the earthquake hit in Concepcion.

Elizabeth called home as soon as it happened.

Elena said Elizabeth explained, "They heard all the plates fall in the kitchen and that's when they woke up."

"She called very scared and I told her to calm down and to pray to God, to pray a lot," exclaimed Elena.