Strong quakes shake Chile, causing fear but no new reports of damage

Strong quakes shake Chile, but no damage reported

SANTIAGO, Chile — Two strong earthquakes have rattled nerves in central Chile but there are no reports of new damage to a region devastated by February’s big quake.

Authorities say people in the beach town of Tirua fled to high ground for fear of a possible tsunami, which did not occur.

The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude-5.3 quake hit at 4:21 a.m. (0821 GMT) Wednesday. It was followed by a magnitude-6.5 shake 11 minutes later. The stronger one was centered about 345 miles (560 kilometers) south of Santiago, Chile’s capital.

The area was among those most harmed by the magnitude-8.8 quake on Feb. 27. That temblor and the resulting tsunami killed at least 521 people and left 200,000 homeless.