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Powerful quake hits north Chile Powerful quake hits north Chile
(about 1 hour later)
A powerful 7.7-magnitude quake has hit northern Chile, knocking out power and damaging buildings. A powerful 7.7-magnitude quake has hit north Chile, cracking roads, bringing down buildings and knocking out power.
The quake hit at 1243 local time (1543 GMT), centring on Quillahua village, about 100km north-west of Calama town.The quake hit at 1243 local time (1543 GMT), centring on Quillahua village, about 100km north-west of Calama town.
Some people were injured in the coastal city of Tocopilla, but they were not in a serious condition, officials said. People were injured in the coastal city of Tocopilla and nearby, reports said, but none seriously.
The quake - lasting about 40 seconds - sent panicked residents out into the streets. It could even be felt in the capital Santiago, 1,260km to the south. The quake - lasting about 50 seconds - sent panicked residents out into the streets. It could even be felt in the capital Santiago, 1,260km to the south.
TV pictures showed cars crushed by the concrete awning of a hotel in Antofagasta.TV pictures showed cars crushed by the concrete awning of a hotel in Antofagasta.
A reporter for local Radio Cooperativa said she saw cracks in the tarmac at the airport there I was very frightened. It was very strong. I've never felt one that strong Paola Barria,hotel worker near Calama
A reporter for local Radio Cooperativa said she saw cracks in the tarmac at the airport there.
"It was horribly strong. It was very long and there was a lot of underground noise," Andrea Riveros, a hotel worker in Calama, told news agency AP."It was horribly strong. It was very long and there was a lot of underground noise," Andrea Riveros, a hotel worker in Calama, told news agency AP.
Another worker at a hotel close to Calama told AP the hotel felt "like a floating island" during the quake, which knocked down power lines, cracked windows and knocked pieces off of nearby houses. Another worker at a hotel close to Calama told AP the hotel felt "like a floating island" during the quake, which took down power lines, cracked windows and knocked masonry off nearby houses.
"I was very frightened. It was very strong. I've never felt one that strong," Paola Barria said."I was very frightened. It was very strong. I've never felt one that strong," Paola Barria said.
In the Bolivian capital La Paz buildings were temporarily evacuated but no damage was reported. A 5.7-magnitude aftershock struck the region two hours later, Reuters news agency reported.
Tsunami warning "One of the most affected zones could be Tocopilla," Deputy Interior Minister Felipe Harboe said on television.
Shortly after the earthquake struck the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami alert. "Some houses in the western part of town, which are made of lighter materials, have been affected and we have some injured people," he said.
"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicentre within minutes to hours," said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii. Twenty people were also hurt in Maria Elena, a small town some 60km south-east of Tocopilla, reported the Chilean news site La Tercera.
"Authorities in the region should take appropriate action in response to this possibility." As well as in the distant capital Santiago, the quake was felt in neighbouring Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. In the Bolivian administrative capital La Paz buildings were temporarily evacuated but no damage was reported.
The alert extended to areas "bordering the Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas" off the coasts of Chile and Peru, the centre said. The quake happened relatively deep underground, diminishing its destructiveness, says the BBC's Daniel Schweimler in the Argentine capital.
But the tsunami risk was played down by Chilean authorities, with AFP news agency quoting presidential spokesman Ricardo Lagos Weber as saying it was unlikely as the epicentre was inland. Warning cancelled
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii cancelled a regional tsunami alert issued shortly after the earthquake, as no damaging waves had been recorded.
But it cautioned that coastal areas in Hawaii could experience "small non-destructive sea level changes and strong or unusual currents lasting up to several hours".
Two tectonic plates - the Nazca and the South American - clash in this region.Two tectonic plates - the Nazca and the South American - clash in this region.
In August more than 500 people died when an 8.0 magnitude quake struck neighbouring Peru just south of the capital, Lima.In August more than 500 people died when an 8.0 magnitude quake struck neighbouring Peru just south of the capital, Lima.
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