Earthquake 6.2 Richter in Chile

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck yesterday on the central coast of Chile, causing panic among locals.

Its earthquake and aftershocks at the central coast of Chile. Graphics: Myforecast

AFP quoted the US Geological Survey (USGS) as saying the earthquake occurred at 8:55 am local time, at a depth of about 15 km, near the coast of Bio Bio and about the second largest city Chile Concepcion 96 km to the west.

The tremor caused panic in some residential areas, but there were no reports of physical damage or human damage. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii also gave no warning.

About 50 minutes after the earthquake mentioned above, an aftershock with a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter scale continued to frighten people. Residents in Lebu coastal city, only about 7 km from the epicenter, had to flee the house.

The panic of the local people comes from memories of the earthquake more than a year ago. On February 27, 2010, a 8.8-magnitude earthquake caused a major tsunami in the region, leaving at least 524 people dead and 220,000 homeless, with estimated damage to 30 billion USD.