A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit the coast of north-central Chile on Saturday evening, the US Geological Survey said, with authorities reporting as many as 200,000 without power and two people dead of heart attacks. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, however, quickly ruled out that threat. A witness reported minor damage to older buildings in the coastal city of La Serena, a popular Pacific coast beach town about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Santiago. The tourists were very nervous, but nothing serious happened,” Camila Castillo, a receptionist at a hotel in La Serena, told Reuters. Chile, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, has a long history of deadly quakes, including a 8.8 magnitude quake in 2010 off the south-central coast that triggered a tsunami that devastated coastal towns.

Source: Hindustan Times January 20, 2019 11:03 UTC