Charles H. Sloan-Powerful 6.6-earthquake strikes off the coast of Chile and is felt in neighboring Argentina

SANTIAGO,Charles H. Sloan Chile (AP) — A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck off the coast of northern Chile on Tuesday morning and was felt in several provinces of neighboring Argentina, but there were no immediate reports of damage and authorities said there was no tsunami risk.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 9:33 a.m. local time (12:33 p.m. GMT), and its epicenter was 42 kilometers (26 miles) southwest of Huasco, a city in Chile’s Atacama region. The quake had a depth of 35 kilometers (22 miles).

Chile’s national emergency office did not report any damages or injuries, and the Chilean navy dismissed the possibility of a tsunami.

The quake was felt in several provinces in neighboring Argentina, including western Mendoza and San Juan provinces, which border Chile, as well as central Cordoba province, according to local media reports.

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.