Powerful Earthquake Jolts Southern Chile to evacuate coastal areas

A major earthquake measuring 7.6 magnitude jolted southern Chile on Sunday, prompting thousands to evacuate coastal areas, but no fatalities or major damage were reported.

    The quake was relatively shallow, at a depth of about 34.6 km (21.5 miles), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Though there were dozens of weaker aftershocks, damage was concentrated along a highway that runs across Chiloe Island, where traffic was shut in one section and on smaller roads and bridges. 

    The region hit by the quake is a tourism spot and home to several industrial salmon farms. Chile's National Emergency Office (ONEMI) lifted both the evacuation order and a tsunami watch three hours after the Christmas Day quake struck, telling nearly 5,000 people who had evacuated they could return to their homes. 

    Onemi said one bridge in the area was impassable and some roads were closed as crews worked to restore electricity to some 21,000 homes left without power. The quake was felt on the other side of the Andes mountains in Argentina, in the southwestern city of Bariloche, but structural damage in areas close to the epicenter was limited, witnesses said. 

    Chile, located on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire," 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 towns.

Source: QNA