7.7 magnitude quake strikes Chile

WASHINGTON: A strong Christmas day earthquake rattled Chile on Sunday, registering 7.7 on the Moment Magnitude Scale, according to US seismologists, who warned that tsunamis are possible in some areas.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck near the southern coast of the quake-prone South American nation at 1422 GMT.

The epicenter of the earthquake was 40-km southwest of the town of Puerto Quellon.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii, said in a bulletin that “hazardous tsunamic waves are forecast for some coasts.”

The quake had a depth of 15-km according to the PTWC.

Thousands of people were evacuated from coastal areas in southern Chile on Sunday following a powerful Christmas Day earthquake that initially triggered a tsunami alert, later eased by officials.

The quake registered 7.7 on the Moment Magnitude scale according to seismologists at the US Geological Survey. Chile’s national emergencies office ONEMI put it at 7.6.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, though electricity was cut to some communities. Immediately after the quake, Chilean authorities issued a tsunami alert and urged people to flee the coast for high ground.

Later, the alert was downgraded to a “state of precaution” for several areas, according to ONEMI chief Ricardo Toro. ONEMI said around 4,000 people had been evacuated from one town, Los Lagos. It maintained its order for the public to stay away from many beaches in the south.