KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 (NNN-BERNAMA) – A strong earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale, was reported south of Shetland Islands, at 7.36am local time today.
According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the quake was detected at 2,556 kilometres (km) south of Puerto Montt, Chile, at a depth of 45 km.
Islands near the epicentre, include King George Island and Clarence, which have no permanent population but are home to a number of research stations. Serious damage or injuries are not expected.
A tsunami alert was issued for Chilean Antarctica, which is uninhabited, except for a small town and research station called Villa Las Estrellas.
“Earthquakes of this size are known to generate tsunamis, dangerous to shorelines near the source,” U.S. National Tsunami Warning Centre said. However, there was no tsunami threat to the U.S., but small tsunami waves were recorded close to the earthquake’s epicentre.
So far, no news of damage or casualties has been reported.– NNN-BERNAMA
