~Chile Earthquake Update - Feb. 12th, 2011

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Santiago – A magnitude-7.0 earthquake rocked central and southern Chile on Friday, but authorities in the capital said they had received no reports of casualties or serious damage.

The temblor occurred at 5:05 p.m. (2005 GMT) and was followed by a dozen aftershocks. Its epicenter was located offshore some 69 kilometers (43 miles) northwest of Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city.

The quake was the largest to strike Chile since the magnitude-8.8 temblor of Feb. 27, 2010, which left more than 500 people dead and caused $30 billion in damage.

Friday's earthquake was felt across a broad swath extending from coastal Valparaiso, west of Santiago, to the southern region of Los Lagos, and caused brief disruptions to cell phone and Internet service.

Many people left their homes and workplaces, while residents of coastal areas made for high ground, even though the Onemi emergency management agency did not issue a tsunami warning.

Around 20 percent of the deaths in the February 2010 earthquake were due to a subsequent tsunami that caught most people off guard because of a lack of warnings amid confusion on the part of officials.

After Friday's temblor, authorities in coastal towns filled with tourists enjoying the Southern Hemisphere summer ordered people off the beaches as a precaution.

*Note! There does not appear to be any major damage and no loss of life. Our missionaries are safe and sound for which we thank God.