joining us. >> the show may be over. the conversation continues on our website aljazeera.com/considerthis or on our facebook or google+ pages or iqe >> a powerful earthquake rocks chile causing death and destruction. >> a birds eye view of catastrophic mudslide in washington. >> our daughters, son, mothers, sisters, fathers, husbands are none - they were the government of doing business g.m. style.

>> lives shattered by g.m. now they answer to congress. >> and taking out one of the most ruthless cartels in the world. >> hi there. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton in new york. we are following breaking news out of chile. a powerful earthquake rocked a south american company. the 8.2 magnitude quake hit off the north coast just before 9:00 pm local time on tuesday. chilean officials say five have died and others injured. the quake caused landslides, knocked out power. 12 aftershocks have been reported, one a magnitude 6.2. airports in the city of iquique and others are closed at this hour, with all flights grounded.

>> tsunami warnings and watches have been cancelled for chile, peru and ecuador. >> lucia newman is in santiago, with more on the quake. >> all along the coast, including the port city of iquique, which is about 150km from where i am now, people are evacuated because they don't know what is going to happen. tsunamis are so unpredictable. the most vulnerable area is in the north of chile, and the port city of iquique, and eriqa, a large city. people were evacuated almost as soon - or they heard the sirens for the evacuation almost as soon as the earthquake struck. there had been rehearsals going on for the last week because of tremors that had been taking place - at least 300 of them. people were becoming concerned that that was a prelude of a

larger earthquake and that is what happened. people were told to walk, not to drive ipp land, and not so much to higher land. this is a flat area, a desert area. a lot of people got in the cars, and that made it more complicated. the emergency services are saying that the evacuation has gone through smoothly, and most people, if not everyone, is out of danger. >> chile is no stranger to earthquakes, it's home to some of the most powerful quakes recorded. as jacob ward shows us, it has a lot to do with where the country is positions. >> iquique and chile in chernal sits on the pacific ring of fire. it's an enormous seismically active circle encompassing japan, california, and down to central and south america. and a place where oceanic plates

are driven under the land masses the continental plates that surround them. the pacific ring of fire contains 75% of active earthquake systems and volcanic systems. it's a truly seismically violent lace. we have really seen, i think, here very lucky event for chile, which has a terrible history of seismic events, this one went well, it could have gone worse. 100 miles due north of the spot where the earthquake took place, there was a terrible earthquake that devastated the coastline. something between an 8.5 and a 9.0. we didn't have the richter scale, so we don't know exactly. it created a tsunami that created waves as high as 34 foot tall, as big as what we saw in

iquique. that and the earthquake killed 25,000, so it's a lucky thing that the earth didn't decide to go a different way and move more water and cause more damage in this quake. >> science and technology reporter jacob ward. >> predicting an earthquake already it happens. we'll show you an early warning system that is a way of life. >> we sea satellite systems showing the full extent the damage in washington statement. the images were taken on march 31st by digital globe satellite and released on tuesday. the death toll stands at 28, with others missing. with floodwaters receding allen schauffler got an up-close look at the enormous scale of the disaster. >> we have been hearing that you don't understand the scope of this until you see it yourself. that's true. search and rescue crews have been saying that, and it's dead

on. i'll step aside and look. we are on a hillside on the south side of the slide. you see the debris feel. this is one small portion, a toe of the debris field where they've been working nonstop for the last 11 days. if we pan to the right, you can see the extent down past the trees. people working on the fringe, and up at the top of the hill you see where the hillside blew out, exploding out of the base of the hill, across the valley and sitting on top of the valley. it was sort of a double event here. stunning to see and what you understand if you look at this is not just the natural fury unleashed, but the human lives it impacted. there could be as many as 50 people dead, and the work that has gone on with volunteers from derrington, arlingtown, from the

communities is impressed. people searching for and finding their on friends and relatives. absolutely amazing to see this in person. >> allen schauffler reporting from oso washington. washington governor inslee said the mudslide and flooding caused 32 million in damage, including $10 million in emergency measures, helicopter rescues, shelter operations and recovery efforts. >> on capitol hill, congress demanding answers from general motors new c.e.o. mary barra over faulty ignition switches. she promised change but questioning over the handling and recalling of millions of vehicles was testy. frustration mounted as mary barra deflected some of the tough questions. libby casey reports. >> do you swear the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. >> i do. >> it was a grilling by the

how's energy and commerce committee. what you answered is gobbledygook, it's your own specification. if a part doesn't make the specification, why in the world would you not refuse it. >> congress want to know why g.m. installed faulty switches in the cobalt and why they didn't act sooner when customers and tech minister reported the engine turn off. brakes, airbags failed, the suspected causes of crashes that led to at least 13 deaths. >> i want to show how easy it is to turn the key in this switch. if you had a heavy key chain like my mum key chain or you were short and bumped up against the technician with your knee, it could cause it to switch off. >> members of the congress heard a repeated refrain from mary

barra, that she wouldn't have answers until the company finishes on internal investigation. >> you don't know why they didn't just replace the witch switch on the old cars, and the new cars. >> we go not know the answer, that's why we are doing the investigation. >> why was this not identified as a safety issue? >> again i can't answer specific questions, that's why we are doing a full and complete investigation. >> mary barra is a second-generation g.m. employee, but has only been at the helm since january. she said the company has changed from a cost culture to customer, a sign of an a position to oversee safety. >> it was called underwhelming. i'm talking responsibility and liability. is the company responsible? the new g.m. is it responsible. >> we'll make the best decisions for our customers, relating we have legal obligations and

responsibilities as well as moral obligations. >> it was not just the g.m. c.e.o. under pressure. they ask why the national high ways traffic safety administration not act sooner. >> what was the problem did g.m. not report the problems or n.h.t.s.a. not able to rectify the problem? >> the team sifted through the information and wasn't able to see a trend tore defect. >> the senate will take a turn on wednesday, digging into what the federal government and g.m. knew about the problems. >> the families of some killed in the crashes were in washington. they want to make sure the human toll of the problem is not forgotten. as affordable care act reports, the relatives of the 13 deaths want law make tors hold g.m. -- lawmakers to hold g.m.

accountable. >> standing in solidarity the parents of some of the children killed express anger and sadness while holding photos of loved ones lost. like amber marie rose. she was 16 when her cobalt crashed into a tree in 2005. >> i feel that g.m. needs to be held accountable. >> our daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, wives and husbands are gone because they were accost of doing business g.m. style. >> in 2009 sara died in a similar crash. her cobalt crashed her air bag not deploying. sara's mother is calling for access to stop other families feeling pain she felt for the

last five years. >> the only thing that matters now is getting the cars off the road, like yesterday. >> cheryl's son michael died when his cobalt crashed into a rockwell and burst into flames. the apology from mary barra over how the company handled the recall does little to extinguish the anger she feels? >> it doesn't matter, she can't bring my son back. she can't bring my daughter's brother back. she can't bring my grandchildren's uncle back, or my mother's grandson back. i'm very angry, and i'm tired of being an angry mother. >> many of the vick tips were young. like amy and her friend, both dying in a crash, that left the driver with braindamage. >> richelle carey reporting.

>> in her testimony c.e.o. mary barra hinted g.m. might pay victims saying the company understands it has civic and league at responsibilities. mary barra is expect to testify before congress. we'll bring you the latest throughout the day. you can get up to date information here on al jazeera. >> ahead south korea says it's being spied on by neighbours to the north. seoul may have proof and it could escalate tensions with pyongyang. >> the incoming mayor of washington d.c. loses his bid for reaction. the scandal that may have led to his defeat.

>> welcome back. secretary of state john kerry cancelled a trip to ramallah. he made a last-minute trip to jerusalem on monday days after the israeli prime minister

cancelled the release of palestine prisoners. nick schifrin reports, moves by both sides are putting the u.s.-brokered talks on the brink of a breakdown. >> with the stroke of a pen, mahmoud abbas fulfilled the desire of palestinians, but helped to bring the peace process to the verge of collapse. mahmoud abbas launched an effort to seek state hood from international organizations. the counter round of peace talks was conditional on the palestinians not doing this. abbas acced the israelis of fro crass tinnating. >> -- procrastinating. >> translation: we don't want to use this right against anyone. we are on good terms with all. u.s. is helping us. john kerry's efforts is spurp. we met 39 times. >> the document is:

>> the treaties signed are irreversible. they cannot and will not be reversed. it's a serious mart. we are consolidating palestine a sovereign and independent state, if under occupation. >> the crisis was created when israel refused to release a fourth group of prisoner. the decision is israels, is it willing to continue talks after abbas's announcement. it's up to the u.s. to convince them. there has to be a decisive intervention by the u.s. international community, spelling out an american policy attractive to both sides. >> to launch the process, secretary of state john kerry made it his personal mission. he met with israeli and palestine leaders, and to keep

the talks going he was considered releasing american jonathan pollard for spying on america with israel. despite the crisis, john kerry asked israel to keep talking because abbas could have gone further. >> none of the agencies that abbas signed tonight involved the u.n. none of them. and president abbas gave his word to me that he will keep his agreement and intends to negotiate through the end of the month of april. >> when this process began the u.s. promised a comprehensive peace, and it backtracked and started to talk about a framework for future talks. now it's scrambling to save the talks, and it's not clear whether that is possible. >> we should point out peace talks are scheduled to end on april 29th. >> malaysia's police chief says investigators may not be able to determine what happened to

missing flight mh370. the investigation is ongoing, but could take a long time before results are found. >> chinese officials and relatives of the passengers on the airplane attended a closed door briefing. the australian prime minister pledged in a radio interview that his country will continue the search for as long as possible. >> we owe it to the world, we owe it to the families to do what we reasonably can to get to the bottom of it. >> malaysia airlines flight mh370 was scheduled to fly from kuala lumpur to beijing on march the 8th, when it disappeared with 239 passengers on board. >> south korea says it found ties between an unmanned drone that crashed on its soil in north korea. the drone crashed on monday as the neighbouring countries exchanged hundreds of shells into the western shores. south korean military officials

say the toy-like plane was flown to carry out surveillance. a similar drone was found in south korea last month. >> a drug cartel leader was killed in a clash. the boss on knights templar refused to surrender and opened fire. three of the four leaders have been removed. 80,000 people have been killed in the last eight years, in drug-related violence. >> the white house is celebrating. 7.1 million people that have registered for health insurance. a last-minute surge in sign-ups help the government in its original goal by monday's deadline. the law had a difficult site. several issues with the website in october made it essentially unusable. >> as messy as it's been sometimes, as contentious as it's been, it's progress. >> it is making sure that we are not the only advanced country on

earth that doesn't make sure everybody has basic health care. >> currently there is not a demographic breakdown of who signed up, but in addition to online registrations, 3 million young people are included on their parent's plans. republicans are trying to repeal the law, but say it costs too much for families and the economy. >> washington d.c. mayor vincent gray conceded to his challenger. voters are crediting bowser's success do to an anti-gray campaign. he was accused of misusing funds. he denied wrong doing, but the accusations may have cost him his job. the poll numbers shot up in the weeks before the election. >> what if you knew an earth quake was coming before the ground started to shake.

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>> we are seeing warmer temperatures across the north-east. that is a good thing compared to the last couple of weeks. we are back to average. over the next few hours, we'll be watching for showers pushing through northern new england. behind this things are fairly clear. you can see that warm surge of air coming in from the south-west. highs for wednesday, pittsburg 57 degrees. new york a beautiful day for you at 63. we think that will continue as we go through the next few days. we pick up a shower or two on thursday, and that's it as we go towards the weekend.

showers have moved out, but it's out here towards the west, anywhere from parts of mississippi to arkansas, and it will increase over the next couple of days. more thunder storms, damaging winds, highs on wednesday. atlanta, your temperatures will stay warm over the next couple of days. by thursday, at 81, we'll see a drop in the temperatures, not a lot of rain in the forecast until we get to sunday. across california, the rain here is going to end as we go towards wednesday, thursday and friday. we are getting into the dry season. temperatures for you, 66 degrees. los angeles, getting to about 60 degrees. l.a., rain in your forecast, and that end. temperatures back to normal. >> heavy rains have triggered flooding in northern and central peru. residents have been using boats

to pick up emergency supplies. floodwaters have overtaken towns and villages near the river, 450 miles north-east of lima. >> seismologists in southern california got a 4-second warning before the earthquake. jacob ward explains. every second counts when it comes to earthquakes. >> here in california, one of the most seismically active parts of the united states, there's a difference between forecasts earthquakes, which they cannot do, and predicting it a few seconds or minutes ahead of time. the 1989 loema creator earthquake was a 6.9 on the richter scale and it devastated san francisco. on this corner a fire raged out of control and much of this neighbourhood, the marina, had to be rebuilt. it caused 60 deaths, 3700

injuries and 6 billion in property damage, making it one of the most expensive disasters in u.s. history. >> while we may think we are acquainted with the damage that an earthquake can do, we have barely begun to study them. >> we have been watching earthquakes for 50 years now. to thing in the last 50 years of recording we captured the important parts - probably not. there's probably a lot of surprises still out there for us. >> science can't currently forecast when an earthquake will begin. in japan, which has 10 times as many earthquakes as we do. a network of seismologists will ping your phone in the moments before shaking begins. caltech established a similar system in california for research. >> this simulation shows an earthquake beginning, five miles

into the earth's trust, and slowly moving up the fault here towards los angeles. the red denotes the heaviest shaking. this will be a magnitude 7.8. the idea as the purple and blue line, the p waves hit los angeles, that's when the residents of l.a. will get their warning, a minute and a half before the bad stuff starts. >> what is the use of a one minute warning? >> with a couple of seconds, there's a lot you can do. the surgeon can take the drill out of your mouth. there's a lot of automatic things that can be done in manufacturing setting. >> why worry about something so rare? well, consider how bad earthquakes can be and how few we have experienced. thomas heaton points to 1811 and 1812. five earthquakes at 7 and higher

shook california and missouri. >> there was little damage. if you took the five earthquakes and moved them to the united states today. basically people would have a different opinion about earthquak earthquakes. >> it's not a question of whether we can predict earthquakes, it's whether we can pay for it. it could cost $16 million to $200 million to implement and that doesn't include the codes and retrofit that needs to be put in place. >> an apocalyptic earthquake may not strike the area in our lifetime, but it will happen. >> the state legislature passed a bill looking at the possibility of putting one of these systems into effect. they put no money goodnight it. when you contrast it with japan, it's a startling difference.

as a researcher pointed out to me, here in the united states, few lawmakers experienced a law-maker first hand, whereas japan and tokyo felt what it's like. >> that'll do it for this edition of al jazeera - thanks for watching. >> hi, i'm lisa fletcher and you're in "the stream." 9 million americans are taking prescription drugs that may have dangerous interaction. are you one of them? find out in the next 30 minutes. if you're like nearly 70% of americans, you're taking at least one prescription medication, and as you age, that