Backgrounder: Major earthquakes in Chile's history

The 1960 Great Chilean Earthquake

A Valdivia street after the earthquake of May 22, 1960. [Photo/Agencies]

Date: May 22, 1960

Magnitude: 9.5 earthquake

Casualties: 1,655 killed and two million homeless

Epicenter: Near Lumaco, approximately 570 km south of Santiago, with Valdivia being the most affected city

Impact: The largest earthquake ever recorded struck on May 22, 1960. The magnitude-9.5 quake killed 1,655 people and made two million homeless and the resulting tsunami affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, southeast Australia and the Aleutian Islands.