A devastating 8.8 earthquake rattled Chile just after 3 AM on Saturday — and Season 5 American Idol finalist Elliott Yamin had a Tweeting front seat for the year’s latest natural disaster. A discouraged Yamin has just returned to his hotel after participating in a disappointing singing competition in Vina Del Mar, when the quake hit the South American country.
Elliott immediately took to his Twitter account and began updating.
“Huge earthquake just now in Chile!!….I swear I thought this was the end of my life!!!!!” Elliott began. “Fuck!!!!!! I take it all back everybody!!…. I just escaped w my life, from an 8.3 earthquake!!!… is everybody ok?… where was the epicener?… Complete and utter choas on the streets… no power… my heart is beatin outta my chest!…. tsunami warning… I am only a mile inland!”
CNN later began live updating on the situation based on the singer’s Tweets. So far, 147 have been confirmed dead; with that number expected to rise. A wave off the coast of Chile killed 3 people and at least 10 are missing.
Experts say today’s Chilean quake was “900x more intense” than the 7.0 earthshaker that destroyed the impoverished nation of Haiti on Jan. 12.