An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale hit the Magallanes and Antarctica region in the south of Chile on Saturday evening, January 23rd, with no reported casualties or damage to infrastructure.
Chile regrets panic triggered by mistaken tsunami warning after Antarctica earthquake
Reuters/Santiago
(Reuters file)
No damage was reported from either quake.
Authorities in Chile said on Saturday they regretted spreading panic with a mistaken tsunami warning calling for people to get out of coastal areas following an earthquake in Antarctica.
The interior ministry said on Twitter that a tremor of magnitude 7.1 struck at 8.36pm 216 km northeast of the O Higgins Chilean scientific base and called for the coastal regions of Antarctica to be evacuated because of a tsunami risk.
The ministry also sent a message to cellphones around the country urging people to abandon coastal areas, though the ministry later said it was sent in error.