Chile, March 07: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has jolted northern Chile, forcing people to rush out of their homes and offices in panic, authorities say.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake rattled the town of Putre, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) from the port of Arica, near the border with Peru, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.
The report says that the epicenter of the quake was 87 kilometers under ground. It struck at 9:32 a.m. local time (1232 GMT), and centered 93 kilometers east of Tacna, Peru and 1,060 kilometers southeast of Lima.
Chile’s national emergency agency have stated that preliminary reports show there were no reports of emergency situations from the incident, and there were no significant casualties or damages.
The earthquake sent residents of the city of Arica running from their homes and offices amid fears of possible aftershocks.
Chile lies on the Pacific rim of fire and is prone to violent earthquakes.
On February 27, 2010, the country was hit by a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake, which triggered a huge tsunami sweeping away entire villages.
The incident left around 520 people dead and an estimated 30 billion dollars in damage.
——-Agencies