6.7-magnitude earthquake hits offshore Chile
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E-mail Xinhua, April 17, 2012
A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Chile on late Monday night, with the tremor being felt in the capital.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the temblor jolted offshore Valparaiso at 12:50 a.m. local time (0350 GMT) Tuesday with an epicenter of 42 km northeast of Valparaiso and 112 km northwest of Santiago, and had a depth of 37 km.
Officials from Chile's state emergency office ONEMI said that so far, they had received no reports of damage or injuries.
According to local media, various places in Chile suffered power outages after the tremor, but in general, power and telecommunications remained unaffected.
Shortly after the earthquake, the Chilean navy's Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service said they had ruled out the possibility of a tsunami.
Chile is located in a circum-Pacific earthquake-prone area. On March 25 this year, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit central Chile without causing major damage or injuries. On Feb. 27, 2010, a massive 8.8-magnitude quake struck the central southern part of the country and triggered tsunamis, killing more than 500 people and causing billions of dollars in losses.
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