Quake hits central Chile, no serious damage

Santiago, June 29: An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 hit central Chile today, rocking buildings and rattling windows in the capital Santiago.

The US Geological Survey said the quake, which struck at 3:25 pm local time, had its epicenter 150 km north of the port city of Valparaiso and 198 km (118 miles) north the the capital city, Santiago.

An official from the government's natural disaster center ONEMI told Reuters there were no immediate reports of material damage, although local media reported some phone lines were down.

Radio reports said the medium-sized quake had prompted some people to leave buildings and run into the streets.

There were no immediate reports of damage to infrastructure in Chile's huge copper mining sector, the world's biggest.

A spokesman at Anglo American Chile, which has significant mining interests in the affected zone, said the company had received no reports of damage.

At El Teniente, the world's largest underground copper mine, the quake was ''barely felt,'' a spokesman from state-owner Codelco told Reuters.

Reuters>