Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake shook Chile's northern Pacific shore Sunday, and authorities
said more than 100,000 people briefly evacuated some coastal areas as a precaution. Only minor
damage was reported. The U.S. Geological Survey originally reported
the quake at a 7.0 magnitude but later revised the reading down. The tremor struck offshore
about 6:16 p.m. at a depth of 20 kilometers (12 1/2 miles). Its epicenter was 60 kilometers
(37 miles) northwest of Iquique, Chile. The USGS said the earthquake was followed
by a 5.1 tremor and three 4.9 quakes in the same area.
Chile's navy said there had been a possibility of a minor tsunami between the northern towns
of Arica and Tocopilla, so authorities urged people to evacuate along a stretch of coast
where the Arica and Parinacota region adjoins the Tarapaca region. The Pacific Tsunami Warning
Center said there did not appear to be a threat of a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami.
Franz Schmauck, Arica and Parinacota regional director of Chile's ONEMI emergency services
office, told state TV that no damage was registered except for broken windows on some homes.
ONEMI's national director, Ricardo Toro, told reporters later that about 80,000 people were
evacuated in the Tarapaca region, 3,000 in Arica and Parinacota region and 22,000 in
Antofagasta region. He said the sea had risen only about 32 centimeters (almost 13 inches).
The navy said the evacuation alert was lifted about three hours after the initial quake.
"We had a fright but we're constantly monitoring," Arica and Parinacota Gov. Emilio Rodriguez
said. Chile is one of the world's most earthquake-prone
countries. A magnitude-8.8 quake and the tsunami it unleashed in 2010 killed more than 500
people, destroyed 220,000 homes, and washed away docks, riverfronts and seaside resorts.
The strongest earthquake ever recorded also happened in Chile, a magnitude-9.5 tremor
in 1960 that killed more than 5,000 people.