Powerful 6.7 quake strikes Chile but no damage reported

No reports of significant damage were made despite a powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake near Chile’s eastern port of Valparaiso early this morning.

The Chilean main copper mines were left unaffected although buildings shook from as far away as the capital Santiago.

No reports of injuries or deaths were reported apart from the death of an elderly man from a heart attack brought on by the earthquake.

A stretch of coastline was being evacuated as a precaution but no tsunami alerts had been released by the state emergency office of ONEMI.

The earthquake struck 26 miles north-northeast of Valparaiso and 69 miles northwest of the capital Santiago with a depth of 23 miles.

Images of swing lamps in homes were broadcast on local television which also said that basic services like power and telecommunications continued to operate normally.