Undersea quake measuring 6.6 magnitude strikes off Chile

A strong 6.9-magnitude quake struck off the coast of central Chile late Tuesday, November 10, but there was no immediate tsunami alert, U.S. seismologists said. It says the epicenter was about 54 miles (88 kilometers) northwest of the coastal city of Coquimbo at a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers).

It was followed by a second 6.8-magnitude quake almost an hour later, at 11.46pm local time.

There was no tsunami threat from the undersea quake, said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii.

Coquimbo is located at the region of high natural disaster activity.

Earthquakes of a 6.0 magnitude and above are considered strong and can lead to human casualties and the destruction of infrastructure.

Chile is one of the most seismologically active areas in the world and has a high natural disaster occurrence frequency.