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Earthquake of 6.4 magnitude strikes northern Chile
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake at 1:15 pm (local time) (5:15 pm GMT) at a depth of 76 kilometres (47 miles).
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck northern Chile on Friday, causing minor damage to infrastructure and cutting power to more than 20,000 people. Authorities have not reported any casualties following the quake.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake at 1:15 pm (local time) (5:15 pm GMT) at a depth of 76 kilometres (47 miles). The earthquake's epicenter was located near the coast of the Atacama Desert.
Chile’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service said the quake's characteristics did not meet the conditions necessary to generate a tsunami along the South American Coast, the Associated Press reported.
Miguel Ortiz, deputy director of Chile's national disaster response service, Senapred, said the powerful earthquake caused "minor" infrastructural damage and power disruptions, leaving nearly 23,000 people without electricity.
“Some minor landslides have been recorded, which are being monitored and coordinated with the municipalities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chile's President Gabriel Boric took to X and said his government was in communication with the regional presidential delegate, and confirmed there were "no reported casualties".
Just earlier last month, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coasts of Chile and Argentina. The quake struck between Cape Horn and Antarctica at a depth of just 10 km (6 miles) and was followed by several smaller aftershocks.
Chilean authorities were prompted to issue a tsunami warning for the country's southernmost region after the quake, news agency AFP had reported.
Chile's National Disaster Prevention and Response Service had said that the coastal area of Magallanes region in the southern tip of the country should be evacuated due to the risk of a tsunami.
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Chilean President Gabriel Boric had urged the public to evacuate the Magallanes region's coastline.
Visuals shared on social media showed people calmly evacuating as sirens blared in the background.
Chile's Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA) estimated that the waves could reach bases in Antarctica and cities in Chile's extreme south in the next few hours at the time.
Earlier in March, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake had rocked northern Chile. The quake's epicenter was 104 kilometres southwest of San Pedro de Atacama, a small town on the edge of the northern desert near Chile's border with Bolivia, the USGS had said.
Chile's national disaster agency classified the earthquake as a "medium intensity" one, saying that it would keep evaluating for any potential damage. It added that the quake did "not meet the conditions necessary to generate a tsunami" along the coast.
