Strong earthquake of magnitude 6.3 shakes central Chile: authorities assess the damage

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake was recorded this Friday night in central Chile, and it was felt in 8 regions of that country. The authorities are evaluating whether the tremor caused structural damage or affected some of the citizens.

According to the local newspaper The Thirdthe epicenter was recorded 52 kilometers southeast of the city of Curicó, located in the Maule Region, in central Chile, at a depth of 114 km.

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According to the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), the earthquake was felt between the regions of Coquimbo and La Araucanía.

“Through the National Disaster Prevention and Response System, possible damages to people, alterations to basic services or infrastructure as a result of this earthquake are evaluated,” the service reported.

Carlos Bernales, director of Senapred Maule, the region where the epicenter was recorded, stated on CNN Chile that the tremor “lasted 45 seconds, quite long, and also quite noisy.”

Several videos have been published on social networks showing how citizens experienced the earthquake, which caused panic among the population. In the clips you can see that the earthquake caused the lamps, appliances and vehicles in the houses to move from side to side.

The authorities added that “the characteristics of the earthquake do not meet the necessary conditions to generate a tsunami on the coasts of Chile.”

Bernales also added that “fortunately, this earthquake did not cause any damage to people or critical structures in the region. The Maule Region is functioning 100% with its basic services and there is no impact reported in the 30 communes of the region, neither to people nor to infrastructure.

He indicated that, as it was quite long and strong in some areas, it initially caused alarm in the population. However, fortunately there were no “emergency situations in vehicle movements both on the roads and within cities.”

Along these lines, he warned that “possibly after a 6.3 earthquake, we could possibly have some type of minor aftershocks during the course of the night.”

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