USGS: Strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake shakes central Chile

By The Associated Press | Associated Press – 18 mins ago...

SANTIAGO, Chile - A strong and prolonged earthquake of magnitude 6.5 has shaken central Chile. Authorities have ordered a preventative evacuation of parts of the coastline.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake's epicenter was 30 miles (48 kilometres) northeast of Valparaiso, Chile, and it had a depth of 15.5 miles (25 kilometres). It struck at just before midnight local time (3:50 Tuesday GMT).

Residents say the quake was felt for almost a minute.

Authorities say the evacuation was ordered from the city of Constitucion to Tongoy.

Chile's oceanography service discounted the possibility of a tsunami.

USGS: Strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake shakes central Chile - Yahoo! News