Earthquake with 6.8 magnitude strikes northern Chile; watch video

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 reportedly struck off the coast of northern Chile on September 1. According to international media reports, there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage and the Chilean Navy also informed that there was no possibility of a tsunami. 

The tremors were reportedly felt around 12:09am (local time). As per reports, it occurred at a depth of 35 kilometres and was centres 78 kilometres northeast of the Atacama city of Vallenar. After the first wave, another earthquake was felt after a few minutes, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3. 

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Second tremor felt in Santiago, Antofagasta 

The second quake was reportedly felt as far as south as the capital, Santiago, and in Antofagasta. Several videos from the scene even surface online, showing windows rattling and items falling to the ground. The local Chilean radio stations reportedly also reported that boulder broke off hills and electricity was briefly cut off. 

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Chile, which is located in the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, often experiments large earthquakes. According to reports, the last major tremor was felt back in February 2010, which set off tsunamis and nearly killed 526 people. 

(Image: PTI) 

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