Strong 5.9-Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Central Chile - EMSC

Chile is no stranger to powerful earthquakes as the South American nation sits along the subducting Nazca tectonic plate. Experts have previously acknowledged that large, damaging quakes have rattled the country roughly every 25 to 100 years, with the last major incident taking place in 2010.

A powerful 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck central Chile overnight Wednesday, prompting tremors to be felt hundreds of miles away from the epicentre in the Valparaiso region.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre reported that the quake struck at a depth of 112 kilometres in Valparaiso, some 89 kilometres from the capital of the South American nation.

Testimonies collected by the agency include locals describing the earthquake as lasting a "long" time, whereas others noted that the incident was "really loud" as well as "short but strong."

"Extremely strong and long", another user commented about the quake.

Tsunami warnings have not been issued as a result of the quake.

Chile endured one of the worst earthquakes to date in 1960, when a 9.5-magnitude tremor struck some 100 miles off the Chilean coastline. The incident prompted widespread damage and a significant death toll after the area was hit by a tsunami.