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Quake hits central Chile, no initial reports of damage

11 October 2012 19:44 (UTC +04:00)

Baku APA. A 5.7 magnitude quake struck Chile’s central region on Thursday afternoon, causing buildings to sway in capital Santiago though there were no initial reports of damage, according to the country’s emergency office, APA reports quoting Reuters.
Cell phone lines, however, appeared to be down and alarmed shoppers left malls following the tremor, according to local radio.
The quake shouldn’t trigger a tsunami, Chile’s navy said.
Highly seismic Chile was battered by an 8.8 magnitude quake in February 2010, whose subsequent tsunami devastated large parts of the south-central coastline.
It was not immediately clear if mines in the world No.1 copper producer were affected. State miner Codelco’s El Teniente and Andina mines are located in the central region, as are global miner Anglo American’s Sur properties.