Santiago: A powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of north-central Chile on Saturday evening, leaving as many as 2,00,000 people without power and two people dead of heart attacks. This has been confirmed by the U.S. Geological.
According to the U.S Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at 10:32 p.m. about 16 km (10 miles) south-southwest of Coquimbo. It measured 53 km (33 miles) below the surface, shook homes and caused landslides in the region’s mountainous terrain. The quake also initially prompted authorities to start a mass evacuation at coastal areas ahead of a potential tsunami threat.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, however, quickly ruled out Tsunami threat in Chile.
According to local media, an elderly man and woman died of cardiac arrest thought to be associated with the earthquake. A major power station was also destroyed because of the quake but electricity was restored to most of the region overnight.
A witness reported minor damage to older buildings in the coastal city of La Serena, a popular Pacific coast beach town about 400 kms (250 miles) north of Santiago.
Notably, Chile is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” It has a long history of deadly quakes, including
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Ms Kalinga