6.7-Magnitude Quake Hits Chile

VOA News

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake that hit north-central Chile late Saturday has killed at least two people and left thousands temporarily without power.

Chile’s national emergency service said the two casualties, an elderly man and an elderly woman from Coquimbo, suffered heart attacks due to the quake.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck at 10:32 p.m. with an epicenter about 16 kilometers south-southwest of the city of Coquimbo. It had a depth of 53 kilometers and it was felt even in the capital Santiago in the south.

Local media reported that residents in Coquimbo and neighboring Serena, a coastal region about 500 kilometers from Santiago, were ordered to evacuate to high ground even though authorities quickly ruled out a tsunami.

A magnitude-8.3 quake hit the Coquimbo region in 2015, causing a tsunami and killing more than a dozen people.