Moderate earthquake strikes off central Chilean coast, widely felt

[News_Editor]

Moderate earthquake strikes off central Chilean coast, widely felt

2011-09-14 22:09:56 GMT+7 (ICT)

VALPARAISO, CHILE (BNO NEWS) -- A moderate earthquake struck off the central Chilean coast on early Wednesday morning, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The 5.6-magnitude earthquake at 3.03 a.m. local time (0703 GMT) was centered about 35 kilometers (21 miles) north of Valparaiso, the capital of Valparaiso Province and the seat of the legislative branch of the national government. It struck about 37 kilometers (22 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Chilean Seismological Service.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), which measured the strength of the earthquake at 5.9 on the Richter scale, estimated that some 151,000 people living along the coast may have felt strong shaking. Some 8.2 million others were estimated to having perceived light to moderate shaking.

According to the country's National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry (ONEMI), the earthquake was widely felt in the region but said there were no reports of damage. "There have been no reports of damages to basic services and infrastructure or casualties," ONEMI said.

Chile is frequently struck by large earthquakes. On May 22, 1960, the 'Great Chilean earthquake' struck the coast of central Chile. The 9.5-magnitude earthquake, the largest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded, left between 490 and 5,700 people killed.

And on February 27, 2010, an epic 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck approximately 95 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Chillan, offshore of Bio-Bio, at a depth of about 35 kilometers (21.7 miles). The earthquake, along with a resulting tsunami, left at least 525 people killed and more than 12,000 others injured while damages were estimated at $30 billion.

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