Chile hit by magnitude-6.8 earthquake

A powerful earthquake in Chile caused buildings to sway in an area that was hit by a tsunami in September. Chile’s emergency services officers first issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas nearby, but later cancelled the alert.
There were no reports of injuries or damage in the aftermath, although social media messages said there were power cuts in the area. Chile’s emergency office, Onemi, said it was still checking whether there was any damage.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 4:31 a.m. about 47km (29 miles) southwest of Ovalle, a city nearly 300km (185 miles) northwest of Santiago, at a depth of 36km (22 miles).
The situation in the region of the epicentre is now in a state of normality,” Ricardo Toro, the head of the emergency services, said in a press conference.
Saturday’s quake was part of a string of aftershocks from an 8.3-magnitude quake which hit off the coast of Chile on September 16, according to an AP report. The 16 September quake killed at least 11 people and caused the evacuation of more than 1 million from coastal areas.

Read also: Indonesia rocked by 5 volcanic eruptions

The magnitude-8.3 quake struck the same area in the Pacific Ocean off Chile on 17 September, sending powerful waves into coastal towns.
Seismologists said Chile’s heavy investment in the structural reinforcement of buildings and its constant refinement of a tsunami alert system helped prevent what would have been a catastrophe in countries less prepared.
Chile is one of the most seismically active regions in the world and buildings are constructed to deal with the regular earthquakes there. In 2010, a strong 8.8-magnitude quake struck the South American country, one of the strongest ever recorded. The quake and the tsunami killed more than 500 people, destroyed 220,000 homes and washed away seaside resorts, docks and river fronts.
Credit: IBTimesUK

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