An earthquake has struck Northern Chile causing strong after affects in santiago, the capital of Chile.The quake's epicentre was thought to be nearly 40 miles underground in the Andean village of Quillahua, 60 miles to the west of the city of Calama. The US geological survey measured the quake at 7.7 on the Richter scale.
The quake, which struck at 10:40 EST (15.40 GMT), was also felt strongly in neighbouring Peru and Bolivia.
A spokesman for the Chilean president said initial reports indicated there had been "no injuries, but some damage had occurred, apparently not serious".Power was cut in and around Santiago to prevent damage due to electrocution.
Calama, near the Licanbur volcano, is home to close to 150,000 people. The surrounding land is one of the driest areas in the world and sparsely populated.
The National Emergency Office told Chilean national TV there had so far been no reports of injuries.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru but Chilean authorities ruled out the alert because the quake was inland.
source: Guardian.co.uk
source: Guardian.co.uk
Read more
