Update: Chile hit by further earthquake

*Updated on 12 March at 16.30 GMT with additional comment re the impact on the fruit trade*

The central zone of Chile has today (Thursday 11 March) been hit by another earthquake, this time registering 7.2 magnitude on the Richter scale, less than two weeks after the country was struck by a devastating major earthquake and tsunami.

The quake, recorded at 11.39am in Santiago, was felt strongly in both the Chilean capital and its surrounding regions, including Rancagua, San Fernando and Valparaíso – the location of the major fruit port in Chile.

According to reports, the earthquake hit central Chile shortly before the country's incoming president, Sebastián Piñera, was sworn in, with the tremor centered on the O'Higgins region, 140km from Valparaíso, where the ceremony was being staged.

At this stage, the Chilean Exporters Association (Asoex) said that it was too early to provide accurate reports of any damage, although added that communications networks have been affected.

One Chilean fruit supplier told Fruitnet.com there have been no less than two dozen aftershocks since the 7.2-quake.

According to the grower-exporter, some of the most important or immediate consequences include the following:

• 'Ports are not loading because of tsunami alerts. They may resume sometime tonight (Friday 12 March), assuming that the authorities determine it is safe and that there are enough labourers to operate the vessels.

• Many packing facilities are completely paralysed because all workers escaped outdoors, including key operators like forklift drivers, which means truckloads of fruit are not being unloaded and pallets are not being loaded for shipment.

• There are energy problems everywhere, and again some of the emergency bridges now are unusable until they are replaced or repaired.

• There is a scarcity of wooden pallets because most wood comes from southern Chile, exactly where the 8.8-earthquake hit on 27 February, and obviously the situation there is far from being normal.

• There are still logistical problems – damage to roads, bridges, communication and so on – which have yet to be fully resolved, particularly in the south.'