The preliminary estimate represents 10 percent to 15 percent of the South American country’s gross domestic product, Eqecat wrote in an e-mailed statement.
“While this constitutes a major disaster, Chile’s widespread adoption and enforcement of modern, seismic-resistant building practices has mitigated the potential for devastation,” it wrote. “While some buildings will have collapsed or suffered irreparable damage, Eqecat expects these to be a minority of the overall building stock.”