A strong and prolonged earthquake of magnitude 6.5 has shaken central Chile. Authorities have ordered a preventative evacuation of parts of the coastline.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake’s epicentre was 50 km northeast of Valparaiso, Chile, and it had a depth of 25 km. It struck at just before midnight local time (9.20 a.m. Tuesday IST).
Residents say the quake was felt for almost a minute.
Authorities say the evacuation was ordered from the city of Constitucion to Tongoy.
Chile’s oceanography service discounted the possibility of a tsunami.
