Santiago, May 26 (SANA) A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Chile early Tuesday, prompting monitoring by local authorities, who said there were no immediate reports of casualties or tsunami risk.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at a depth of around 100 kilometers in the Atacama Desert, approximately 31 kilometers from the town of Calama.
Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service said there was no threat of a tsunami following the quake.
Local authorities also reported no immediate injuries or major damage.
Chile is considered one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries due to the convergence of the Nazca, South American and Antarctic tectonic plates along its coastline.
The country experienced the strongest earthquake ever recorded in 1960, when a magnitude 9.5 quake devastated the southern city of Valdivia and killed an estimated 9,500 people.
In 2010, another powerful earthquake measuring 8.8 struck off central Chile, triggering a tsunami that left more than 520 people dead.
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