6.7 magnitude earthquake hits northern Chile

A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake has jolted northern Chile, killing a woman, knocking out electricity and phone services, and sending panicked residents running into the streets.

The earthquake occurred yesterday at 2015 GMT (0145 IST) some 102 kilometres (63 miles) from the mining town of Copiapo, the site of a famous 2010 rescue operation, the US Geological Service said.

The epicentre was about 800 kilometres north of the capital Santiago.

Late yesterday, Interior Minister Andres Chadwick announced that a woman in her 50s had suffered a fatal heart attack during the quake. The temblor otherwise appeared to have caused only minor damage, with no other reports of casualties.

The quake, which lasted longer than a minute, downed phone service and power in nearby cities, local officials said.

Panicked people ran out into the streets of the town of Atacama, recalling a tsunami that hit the south three years ago. Homes were were damaged in the city of Vallenar, and in Copiapo the quake knocked out windows.

"At city hall, some fragile items were smashed and a television set fell. Some people ran out of the building," Vallenar mayor Cristian Tapia said.

He said stunned residents ran into the streets, and that some of them were treated for panic attacks in local medical centres.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said in a preliminary report that there was no tsunami threat, but that an earthquake of such magnitude could cause localised damage.

In February 2010, a massive 8.8-strength earthquake hit Chile's central Maule region, south of Valparaiso, generating tsunami waves, killing more than 500 people and causing about USD 30 billion in damage.

But experts said that yesterday's quake was on a different tectonic plate from the 2010 temblor.

The town of Copiapo attracted global attention two years ago when 33 workers were trapped deep inside a nearby mine for more than two months before being rescued.

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