6.2 magnitude earthquake hits northern Chile: US govt

SANTIAGO: A strong, 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit an area of northern Chile today, US and Chilean authorities said, sparking fear, but no significant damage or victims.

"Preliminarily, there were no reports of emergency situations from this earthquake," Chile's national emergency agency said.

The quake was deep, 87 kilometres (54 miles) underground. It struck at 9:32 am (1232 GMT), centred 93 kilometres (58 miles) east of Tacna, Peru and 1,060 kilometres (659 miles) southeast of Lima.

The quake sent residents of the city of Arica running from their homes, fearing aftershocks.

"We're pretty scared. We don't know if it will happen again and we're afraid that some homes would collapse with a stronger quake," one witness told radio Cooperativa.

The quake hit just a few days after Chileans marked one year since a devastating 8.8 earthquake and subsequent tsunami which killed 500 people and left $ 30 billion in damage.