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Powerful Quake Off Chilean Coast Prompts Tsunami Warnings

by VOA News

   A powerful earthquake struck southern Chile on Sunday, prompting
   authorities to issue a tsunami warning. There were no immediate reports
   of damage or injuries.

   The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor had a magnitude of 7.7 and
   was centered 40 kilometers southwest of Puerto Quellon on Chile's
   sparsely populated southern coast. It struck at 11:22 am local time
   (1422 UTC).

   U.S. and Chilean authorities issued tsunami warnings for areas within
   1,000 kilometers of the epicenter.

   It was the third earthquake this month of 7.7 magnitude or higher along
   the quake-prone Pacific Rim, sometimes referred to as the "ring of
   fire."

   A 7.8 magnitude-earthquake was recorded off the coast of the Solomon
   Islands on Dec. 8, and a 7.9-magnitude temblor was reported Dec. 17 in
   Papua New Guinea.