World
Powerful earthquake hits off northern Chile, causes damage

A powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of northern Chile, causing damage and prompting some people to evacuate as a precaution, officials say. An aftershock, which measured 6.3, followed within half an hour.
The first earthquake happened at 12:09 a.m. local time on Tuesday and was centered about 40 kilometers northwest of Carrizal Bajo, a village in the northern Atacama region, or 113 km southwest of Copiapó. It was followed by the aftershock at 12:30 a.m.
Chile’s seismological agency said the initial earthquake measured 7.0 and struck about 31 kilometers below the seafloor, making it a shallow earthquake. The aftershock measured 6.1. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitudes at 6.8 and 6.3, respectively.
The initial earthquake was felt across the region and woke up many people, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. Some damage and minor landslides were reported in areas near the epicenter. A number of people living near the coast were evacuated as a precaution.
“Based on all available data, there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin to member states. “No action is required.”
Chile is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin which is prone to frequent and large earthquakes. A magnitude 9.5 earthquake struck off the coast of central Chile in May 1960, killing thousands of people. It was the largest earthquake ever recorded.
Copiapó #temblor pic.twitter.com/6JYxDPpIeh
— javrs19 (@javs2020) September 1, 2020
#AlertaRSB| Rotuta de piscina en edificio Valle del Sol de #Copiapo tras el #Sismo que afectó a la zona.@CarlosRiescoR @ToroMaca @patopizarrovega #Temblor pic.twitter.com/XUUHFQhANs
— RSB Chile (@rsbchile) September 1, 2020
#Temblor #Copiapo @RADIONOSTALGICA @reddeemergencia @canal13 @RedGeoChile pic.twitter.com/T9t1mvNkhB
— Gabriel F:P. (@Pancho_234) September 1, 2020

-
Breaking News24 hours ago
Tsunami alerts for Pacific, including U.S. West Coast and Hawaii, after Russia quake
-
Legal4 days ago
11 people stabbed at Walmart in Traverse City, Michigan
-
Legal2 days ago
5 killed, including NYPD officer and the suspect, in Midtown Manhattan shooting
-
Business6 days ago
Starlink experiences widespread outage in U.S. and other countries
-
Legal3 days ago
Couple killed while hiking with daughters at Arkansas state park
-
World1 week ago
Close call between Aeromexico and Atlanta-bound Delta flight reported in Mexico City
-
US News1 week ago
Small plane crashes into storage units near Grand Rapids, Michigan
-
US News2 days ago
Small plane crashes into car in southern Florida, 7 hospitalized