Rosa Neira, 36, stands in front of a damaged house after an earthquake in Pelluhue, some 322 kms, about 200 miles, southwest of Santiago, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010. A 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile early Saturday. (AP Photo/Roberto Candia)

Click here to read a firsthand account of the Chilean earthquake from OU student Will O’Donnell, who is studying abroad in Viña del Mar, Chile

Two OU students studying in Chile are safe and well after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the South American nation early Saturday morning.

OU Education Abroad Director Jack Hobson said the office has ensured the safety of the students abroad.

“The EA team will work closely with the partner institutions and the impacted students over the coming week to determine what is best for each involved,” Hobson said by e-mail.

Will O’Donnell, international studies and letters senior, is one of the two students in Viña del Mar, Chile on a year-long reciprocal exchange program. Aside from broken glass, minor structural damage to buildings and aftershocks, the coastal city was not badly affected by the quake, he said by e-mail. Viña del Mar is approximately 359 miles north of Concepción, the city closest to the epicenter of the earthquake.

Two other OU students planned to study in Chile this semester. Despite the earthquake, international and area studies junior Kevin O’Brien said his semester abroad plans in Chile are still underway. He changed his flight from Feb. 27, the day the quake struck, to March 8. He said he isn’t worried about the possibility of another earthquake and expects his study abroad experience will be very fulfilling.

“I think it’ll be fun. I’m not too worried about it,” O’Brien said.

Carlos Torres is the international student coordinator at the Universidad de Viña del Mar, one of OU’s partner universities in Chile. The university is expected to reopen March 3 for the beginning of the semester’s programs, Torres stated in a Facebook message.

Cristina Caamaño Rojas is a chemical engineering graduate student from Talcahuano, Chile, a city about 15 minutes from Concepción. She learned about the earthquake around 7 a.m. Saturday, when another Chilean exchange student called her. Caamaño’s mother, father, two sisters and brother live in Talcahuano.

“For two or three hours I was crazy because I didn’t know anything,” she said.

After communicating via international texts, Caamaño was able to confirm that her family was safe. She said her family was very lucky; they had visited friends near the Andes Mountains about two hours away from Talcahuano and were not as close to the earthquake. Caamaño said her house was badly damaged, but the most important thing is her family’s safety.

“The houses are destroyed; but it’s okay, [because] they are fine.” she said.