Magnitude 6.2 quake strikes off central Chile

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the central Chilean town of Concepcion on Monday, the US Geological Survey said.

It said the quake struck 31 miles (50 km) north of Concepcion at 1:04 pm1604 GMT) at a shallow depth of 12.2 miles (19.6 km) below the seabed in the Pacific Ocean.

The USGS earlier reported it as a magnitude of 5.8.

Local newspaper La Tercera, reported locals felt the earthquake to be as “strong as the one felt on February 27th, 2010,” a massive temblor which devastated the country two years ago killing 524 people, causing over US$ 30 billion in damage.

International news agencies informed there are no immediate reports of damage and authorities say it will not cause a tsunami.

Also according to the international media, the population panicked and cell phone service was temporally disrupted as locals tried to reach their families.