A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Chile’s central-north area, but authorities said no injuries or damage were reported and discounted the possibility of a tsunami.
The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was 88 kilometeres north of Coquimbo, Chile, and had a depth of 61 kilometeres. The quake was mildly felt in the capital of Santiago, where it shook buildings and in several regions from the Atacama desert in the north to the port of Valparaiso.
Chile’s emergency services office said no damages to infrastructure were immediately reported and the country’s oceanographic service dismissed the possibility of a tsunami. Chile is highly earthquake-prone. A massive 8.8-magnitude quake in 2010 caused a tsunami that obliterated much of the coastal downtown of the central Chilean city of Constitucion.
2012 Cable News Network LP, LLLP