The US Geological Survey has said a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck central Chile this afternoon, shaking the capital Santiago and reaching as far as the Argentine border. The quake struck 25km east-south-east of the city of Curico.

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Reuters reported the Chilean emergency office called the quake a "major" event, though no damage has so far been reported. The Chilean Navy told the news agency that the seismic event did not meet the level to create a tsunami.

EMSC said that the earthquake struck 174km south of Santiago, estimating that 9.5m people will have felt the tremors. The quake struck at 16:30pm UTC.

The largest earthquake in the world struck in southern Chile in 1960. The Valdivia earthquake was from 9.4-9.6 magnitude and lasted around 10 minutes. In 2010 a magnitude 8.8 earthquake destroyed over 200,000 homes in the country, caused a destructive tsunami and left over 500 people dead.

Earthquake