People walk near a destroyed building in Concepcion, Chile, about 115 kilometres from the epicentre of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country Saturday. (Associated Press)

A Saskatchewan woman living with her family in Chile awoke with a shock to a massive earthquake rocking her home in the country's capital early Saturday morning.

Raeanne Anderson is originally from Outlook, Sask., but now lives in Santiago with her husband and young son.

Anderson's house is more than 300 kilometres away from the epicentre of the magnitude 8.8 quake, but the force of it was so strong it shook the bed where she and her husband were sleeping.

The quake seemed mild and not unusual at first, she told CBC News by telephone on Saturday.

"It was just little shakes, then a little stronger, stronger, stronger, then really strong, and it kept shaking strongly," Anderson said.

She said tremors are not unusual where she lives, but this earthquake was far from ordinary.

'We've tried every means — Facebook, texting … telephones.'— Regina's Paula Moya

"My husband got up because he was a bit concerned about our son … and when he got up to see our son, all of a sudden the shaking got really intense — it would throw you off balance."

Some of the most serious damage is in Concepcion, a city of 670,000 about 115 kilometres from the epicentre.

On Sunday, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said the quake had killed at 708 people, much higher than earlier estimates of the toll.

Authorities also said 1.5 million Chileans have been affected by the quake, and 500,000 homes are severely damaged. The full extent of the damage remained unclear as communication is still down in some areas closer to the epicentre.

The Chilean government has declared a state of catastrophe.

Anderson said she and her family went outside to a cacophony of car alarms and sirens. Everyone was bracing for aftershocks. Her home appears intact but her dishes and glassware were shattered, she said.

Ninety aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater have rattled Chile since the initial quake, prompting thousands of people to sleep outside their homes in tents. One aftershock was nearly as powerful as Haiti's devastating Jan. 12 earthquake.

"You are just trying to catch your breath," Anderson said, adding she could smell devastation in the air. "North of here, there is some industrial areas and … about three plastic factories went up in flames. The smoke hasn't really gone away."

Waiting for word

People in Saskatchewan with relatives or other ties to Chile told CBC News they are anxiously awaiting word about how they're doing.

Regina's Paula Moya said her husband's extended family lives in Concepcion. Moya spent most of Saturday trying to get in touch with them — and having no luck.

Around Concepcion, whole villages have been flattened, highways have been sliced in two and bridges have collapsed. The city's university was among the buildings that caught fire.

"We've tried every means — Facebook, texting … telephones," Moya said. "We have no idea [if they're OK]," she said.

They were, however, able to get an update about the whereabouts of her father, who had been visiting relatives near Santiago. He was safe and sound, Moya said.

There have been no reports of any Canadians injured or killed in the earthquake.

Map: Chilean earthquake

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