Strong quake rattles northern Chile, no reports of casualties

A strong earthquake jolted northern Chile on Thursday with no reports of casualties so far.

The quake was registered 6.4 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter located on the coast 67 km southwest of the city of Coquimbo at a depth of 7 km, according to Chile's National Seismological Center.

Initial reports from the U.S. Geological Service said the epicenter of the 6.6-magnitude quake was located near the city of Coquimbo, about 500 km north of capital Santiago.

News reports said telephone lines were knocked down and electricity was cut off, but so far there were no reports of casualties.

The Chilean Navy's Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service ruled out any possibility of a tsunami affecting Chile's coasts.