Magnitude 6.6 earthquake strikes Easter Island region

An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck the Easter Island region in the Pacific Ocean near Chile on Tuesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

The quake was at a depth of 33km, the EMSC said. Chile’s National Emergency Office (ONEMI) said the earthquake did not generate conditions for a tsunami on Chile’s coasts.

“There are no reports of damage,” said Nicolas Banda, a spokesman at ONEMI, adding that the agency’s office in Valparaiso was in contact with the island.

Banda said the earthquake struck 699km northwest of the island and its infrastructure is built to withstand a quake of that magnitude at that distance.