Strong quake strikes Chile, tsunami alert issued

Santiago, Chile (AFP) — A strong 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the center of Chile on Wednesday, local seismologists said, triggering a tsunami alert, sparking panic and shaking buildings.

The quake had a shallow depth of 11 kilometers (six miles) and hit at 7:54 pm (2254 GMT), with the epicenter located about 500 kilometres north of the capital Santiago, seismologists at the University of Chile said.