SANTIAGO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit northern Chile's Antofagasta region at 7:06 p.m. local time (2306 GMT) Tuesday, with no reports of casualties or material damage so far, according to the National Seismological Center of the University of Chile.
The quake's epicenter was 70 km east of the town of Socaire, over 1,600 km north of the country's capital Santiago, with a depth of 248 km.
Surrounding regions felt the quake at varied intensities. In a Twitter post, the Interior Ministry's National Emergency Office ruled out the possibility of a tsunami along the Chilean coast.
Located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Chile is considered as one of the most seismic countries on the planet. ■
