Powerful 7.4-magnitude quake strikes north Chile near Argentine border. No reports of major damage

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A magnitude 7.4 earthquake has hit northern Chile near its border with Argentina. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck at at 9:51 p.m. Chilean time and had a depth of 117 kilometers. Its epicenter was 45 kilometers (28 miles) east-southeast of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. Chilean President Gabriel Boric wrote on social platform X that according to preliminary information there were “no reports of injuries or serious damages.” The quake did not activate a tsunami alarm. Chile is located in the so-called “Ring of Fire” in the Pacific and experiences frequent earthquakes. In 2010, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake and subsequent tsunami claimed 526 lives.