Northern Chile Hit by 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake; Infrastructure Damaged and Power Cut

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck northern Chile on Friday, causing some infrastructure damage and leaving over 20,000 people without power. The earthquake occurred at 1:15 p.m. local time (5:15 p.m. GMT), as reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS). The quake’s epicenter was located near the coast in the Atacama Desert, at a depth of 76 kilometers (47 miles). The tremors were felt across many communities within the Atacama Desert. Authorities have stated that there were no immediate reports of casualties. The Chilean Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service indicated that the earthquake did not have the necessary characteristics to generate a tsunami. Miguel Ortiz, the deputy director of Chile’s national disaster response service, Senapred, noted that the earthquake resulted in minor infrastructure damage and power disruptions, impacting nearly 23,000 individuals.