A tsunami warning was issued in Chile after an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck off the southern coast of the country on Sunday. The national emergency office of Chile issued an alert and ordered citizens to evacuate the coastal areas of the Los Lagos region, including Biobio, Araucania, Los Rios and Aysen, BBC reported.

The temblor hit at 11.22 am (local time), 225 km southwest of Puerto Montt in southern Chile at a depth of about 15 km, according to the United States Geological Survey. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that hazardous waves were likely on coasts located up to 1,000 km from the epicentre of the quake.

There were no immediate reports of damage, said Alejandro Verges, the regional director for the national emergency service, according to The Telegraph.

In February 2010, 524 people were killed after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck the country and triggered a tsunami. </s> SANTIAGO: Officials removed a tsunami warning after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 225 km (140 miles) southwest of Puerto Montt in southern Chile on Sunday, prompting an evacuation order for southern coastal areas.

The U.S.-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami warning was no longer in place for the area after earlier issuing one for areas within 1,000 km (621 miles) of the epicentre of the quake.

Chile's National Emergency Services (Onemi) chief Ricardo Toro said a tsunami watch remained in place, and reiterated his call for Los Lagos residents to abandon beaches and go to higher ground. Toro said no fatalities had been reported.

Onemi said approximately 4,000 people had evacuated the Los Lagos area.

The quake's depth was about 34.6 km (21.5 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. According to media reports, the quake was felt in the southwest Argentine city of Bariloche.

Chile is the world's leading copper producer, but there are no major mines located near the zone affected by the earthquake.

Chile's state-run oil company ENAP said its Bio Bio refinery in southern Chile was operating normally.

Chile has a long history of deadly quakes, including a 8.8 magnitude quake in 2010 off the south-central coast, which also triggered a tsunami that devastated coastal town. </s> SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Officials removed a tsunami warning after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 225 km (140 miles) southwest of Puerto Montt in southern Chile on Sunday, prompting an evacuation order for southern coastal areas.

The U.S.-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami warning was no longer in place for the area after earlier issuing one for areas within 1,000 km (621 miles) of the epicenter of the quake.

Chile's National Emergency Services (Onemi) chief Ricardo Toro said a tsunami watch remained in place, and reiterated his call for Los Lagos residents to abandon beaches and go to higher ground. Toro said no fatalities had been reported. </s> SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A 6.7-magnitude earthquake has shaken cities on Chile’s northern coast. No damages have been reported so far, but Chile’s National Emergency Office ordered a preventative evacuation of a stretch of coast near the city of Coquimbo.

Chilean authorities said the quake didn’t have the characteristics that would generate a tsunami. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System also ruled out a tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the magnitude-6.7 quake was 15.6 kilometers (9.7 miles) south-southwest of Coquimbo, and had a depth of 53 kilometers. It struck at 7:32 p.m. local time.

Chile is located in the so-called “Ring of Fire,” which makes it one of the most seismic countries in the world. An 8.8-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami in 2010 killed 525 people.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> A powerful earthquake shook southern Chile on Sunday, prompting officials to order an evacuation of coastal areas to guard against a possible tsunami..

The US Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.7 and said it struck at 11:22 am local time (14:22 GMT) near the southern tip of Chiloe Island, about 40 kilometers southwest of Puerto Quello and at a depth of 33 kilometers.

The area, some 1,300 kilometers south of the capital of Santiago, is relatively sparsely populated.

Chile's naval oceanographic service declared a preventative tsunami alert and officials began evacuating coastal areas in the southern part of the country.

The regional director for the national emergency service, Alejandro Verges, told TVN television that there were no immediate reports about damage.

A much stronger magnitude 8.8 earthquake in February 2010 generated a tsunami and killed 524 people in Chile. </s> The epicentre of the earthquake was 140 miles southwest of Puerto Montt.

A tsunami warning has been issued after an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck in southern Chile.

The epicentre of the earthquake was 140 miles southwest of Puerto Montt and had a depth of about nine miles, the US Geological Survey said. </s> Chile’s National Emergency Office preventatively ordered the evacuation of a stretch of coast near the city of Coquimbo but later called it off. Authorities said the quake didn’t have the characteristics that would generate a tsunami.

SANTIAGO, CHILE—A 6.7-magnitude earthquake shook cities and towns on Chile’s northern coast late Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of major damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the magnitude-6.7 quake was 15.6 kilometres (9.7 miles) south-southwest of Coquimbo, and it had a depth of 53 kilometres. It struck at 7:32 p.m. local time.

Chile’s seismological service put the strength of the quake at magnitude 6.8. It was felt strongly in northern Chile, according to social media and press reports.

Chile is located in the so-called “Ring of Fire,” which makes it one of the most seismic countries in the world. An 8.8-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami in 2010 killed 525 people and left 26 missing. </s> A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit the coast of north-central Chile on Saturday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey said, with authorities reporting as many as 200,000 without power and two people dead of heart attacks.

The quake struck at 10:32 p.m. about 16 km (10 miles) south-southwest of Coquimbo, the USGS said. The quake, measured 53 km (33 miles) below the surface, shook homes, caused landslides in the region's mountainous terrain and initially prompted authorities to begin a mass evacuation of coastal areas ahead of a potential tsunami.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, however, quickly ruled out that threat.

An elderly man and woman died of cardiac arrest thought to be associated with the earthquake, according to police and local media reports.

The quake also knocked out a major power station, but electricity was restored to most of the region overnight.

A witness reported minor damage to older buildings in the coastal city of La Serena, a popular Pacific coast beach town about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Santiago.

"It felt very strong... The tourists were very nervous, but nothing serious happened," Camila Castillo, a receptionist at a hotel in La Serena, told Reuters.

Chilean miner Antofagasta Plc said operations were normal at its Los Pelambres copper mine.

Chile, located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", has a long history of deadly quakes, including a 8.8 magnitude quake in 2010 off the south-central coast that triggered a tsunami that devastated coastal towns.

But death and destruction tend to be limited due to the adoption of strict construction codes. </s> An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 has struck south-west of the city of Puerto Montt in southern Chile, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The agency put the quake’s magnitude at 7.7 and said it struck at 11.22 am local time near the southern tip of Chiloé Island, about 25 miles (40km) south-west of Puerto Quellón city and at a depth of 20 miles (33km). The area, about 140 miles (225km) from Puerto Montt, is relatively sparsely populated.

Chile’s naval oceanographic service declared a preventative tsunami alert for areas within 621 miles (1,000km) of the epicentre, and officials began evacuating coastal areas in the southern part of the country. But officials later removed the tsunami warning.

Chile’s National Emergency Office (Onemi) said a tsunami watch remained in place, and reiterated his call for Los Lagos residents to abandon beaches and go to higher ground. Toro said there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.

Onemi said approximately 4,000 people had evacuated the Los Lagos area. 



According to media reports, the quake was felt in the city of Bariloche, over the border in Argentina.

Chile has a long history of deadly earthquakes, including a 8.8-magnitude event in 2010 off the south-central coast, which triggered a tsunami that devastated coastal towns.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Chile spurs tsunami warnings.