Santiago, March 6: A strong, 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit an area of northern Chile on Sunday, US and Chilean authorities said, sparking fear, but no damage or victims.
"Preliminarily, there were no reports of emergency situations from this earthquake," Chile's national emergency agency said.
Natural disasters caused $109 billion in economic damage last year, three times more than in 2009, with Chile and China bearing most of the cost, the United Nations said Monday.
The 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile in February cost $30 billion.
Mediterranean-type ecosystems constitute one of the rarest terrestrial biomes and yet they are extraordinarily biodiverse. Home to over 250 million people, the five regions where these ecosystems are found have climate and coastal conditions that make them highly desirable human habitats.
In a country where mining tragedies are common, there was jubilation on October 13 at a rescue operation that lifted 33 miners to safety after a lengthy ordeal in Chile.
SANTIAGO: The 33 miners trapped nearly a kilometre underground in northern Chile may be rescued by October 17, weeks before the government's original predictions, President Sebastian Pinera announced in a nationally broadcast radio interview on Monday.
