Central Chile Hit By 5.6 Magnitude Earthquake - National Emergency Service

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2020) A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck on late Friday the central part of Chile, the National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry (ONEMI) said.

The tremors were registered at 11:11 p.m. local time (02:11 GMT on Saturday) and were felt in the regions of Atacama, Coquimbo and Valparaiso.

There are no immediate reports about any damages and victims caused by the earthquake. No tsunami alert has been declared.

Chile is located in a seismologically active zone, known as the Ring of Fire. The country, particularly, lies along the border between the South American and Nazca tectonic plates, whose movement sometimes causes powerful earthquakes.

An 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country on January 24, 1939, killing some 28,000 people and becoming the deadliest quake in the history of Chile.

On May 22, 1960, some 9.5 magnitude quake hit the city of Valdivia, leaving 1,000-7,000 people killed. The disaster, known as the Great Chilean earthquake, is one of the most powerful quakes ever recorded.