The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, however, quickly ruled out that threat. An elderly man and woman died of cardiac arrest thought to be associated with the earthquake, according to police and local media reports.
The quake also knocked out a major power station, but electricity was restored to most of the region overnight. A witness reported minor damage to older buildings in the coastal city of La Serena, a popular Pacific coast beach town about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Santiago.
"It felt very strong... The tourists were very nervous, but nothing serious happened," Camila Castillo, a receptionist at a hotel in La Serena, told Reuters. Chilean miner Antofagasta Plc said operations were normal at its Los Pelambres copper mine.
Chile, located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", has a long history of deadly quakes, including a 8.8 magnitude quake in 2010 off the south-central coast that triggered a tsunami that devastated coastal towns. But death and destruction tend to be limited due to the adoption of strict construction codes. (Reporting by Manuel Farias in La Serena, Dave Sherwood and Fabian Cambero in Santiago; writing by Dave Sherwood, Editing by David Gregorio and John Stonestreet)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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