Chile Earthquake: Southern Chile Hit by 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake

Chile earthquake: A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck offshore, near the southern coast of Chile on Friday, Feb. 11, around 5 p.m. local time.
Chile Earthquake: Southern Chile Hit by 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake
2/11/2011
Updated:
2/12/2011
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck offshore, near the southern coast of Chile on Friday, Feb. 11, around 5 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The epicenter was located 30 miles north of Concepcion and 245 miles south-southwest of Santiago, at around 11 miles depth. Tremors were felt by residents of Chile’s capital, some of whom fled into the streets, according to MSNBC.

There are no reports of any damage, but more than 200 responses have been posted on USGS’s website, including around 90 at Santiago and nearly 20 at Concepcion just over one hour after the quake.

Staff at Hotel Concepcion told NBC News that they felt the quake over about 30 seconds and that guests were frightened, MSNBC reported.

The Friday temblor shook the area that was struck almost one year ago on Feb. 27, 2010, when an 8.8 magnitude quake devastated the region and triggered a tsunami, killing more than 500 people and leaving around 200,000 homeless. Concepcion was particularly affected by the disaster.