Valparaiso, Chile — A strong, magnitude-6.7 earthquake rocked central Chile late Monday, causing mudslides and hundreds of people to flee buildings in panic, the US Geological Survey reported.
According to the USGS, the quake’s epicenter was 30 miles northeast of Valparaiso, Chile, and it struck at a depth of 15.5 miles at 12:50am local time. A 5.1-magnitude aftershock was felt 13 minutes later.
While there were no reports of major damage, authorities in the port city of Valparaiso said a 72-year-old man, whose name has not been released, died of a heart attack during the quake, which was felt for almost a minute in Valparaiso and the capital, Santiago.
ABC added that the quake knocked out power and telephone service in various parts of Santiago and that residents of Valparaiso said the facades of some old buildings had fallen.
The Chilean navy’s hydrographic and oceanographic service discounted the possibility of a tsunami, but authorities evacuated the coastline near the site as precaution.
UPI writes that Monday’s earthquake in Chile occurred in the same area as an 8.8 magnitude quake in February 2010 that took the lives of about 500 people in its path of destruction.
The 2010 Chile earthquake caused roughly $8 billion in insured losses and economic losses of at least twice that.
More on the 2012 Valparaiso Chile quake in the video below:
