Magnitude-6.8 earthquake hits Chile
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An earthquake measuring 6.8 on Richter scale hit the southern Chilean region of Bio Bio on Friday, causing panic yet leaving no material damages or casualty.
The U.S. Geology Survey said the quake took place at 17:05 local time and its epicenter was located at 45 kilometers to the north of Concepcion, capital city of Bio Bio and with a depth of 28 kilometers underground.
The National Office of Emergencies of Chile rule out the probability of tsunami shortly after the quake.
So far no casualty or material damages were reported, but Xinhua reporters in Concepcion witnessed panic among local population, and the telecommunication via cellphone and internet failed due to the shock.
Construction workers abandoned their positions in rush while the city of Concepcion recalled the horror of almost a year ago when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake stroke the region and took the life of 523 people, causing economic losses worth of 30 billion U. S. dollars in the South American country.
Residents of tall buildings escaped from windows and emergency ladders and ran to nearby heights; many of them apparently worried because telecommunication was impossible and the internet connection failed.
The Chilean government announced a four-year reconstruction plan on Tuesday, planning a total investment of 8 billion U.S. dollars as to recuperate all the damages from the major quake on February 27 of 2010.
Official statistics show that one billion U.S. dollars have been invested into the reconstruction projects.
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