6.7 magnitude quake hits coast of Northern Chile

[Sobia Anjum]

World News

Powerful earthquake tremors were felt near the coast of Northern Chile on Tuesday.

According to the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 hit the coast of Northern Chile with a depth ranging about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).

The quake earlier showed the magnitude as 7.

Earlier, on August 22, earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck eastern Indonesia on Friday, the US Geological Survey reported.

According to the USGS, the undersea tremor felt at a depth of over 600 kilometers (375 miles) about 220 kilometers south of Katabu on the island of Sulawesibut.

The USGS said that, there was no tsunami warning released and was a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

In Kupang city, far south of the quake’s epicenter in the Banda Sea, frightened residents ran outside as buildings and streetlights swayed.

Sources said one of the residents Engky Nussi said "I was in the shopping center when the quake hit." 

"Many people ran outside as stuff started falling off the shelves and we were afraid something worse might happen," he added. 

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency said "We have not received any reports of damage so far, due to quake." 

The Southeast Asian archipelago experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates collide. 

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