7.2 magnitude quake strikes central Chile: USGS

Talca City Hall workers repair the power supply of the city in 2010.

The USGS said the latest quake occurred at 2237 GMT 32 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Talca, Chile, at a depth of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, taking note of the earthquake in Chile, said "a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected."

The Maule coastal region in central Chile where the quake occurred has been periodically shaken by powerful aftershocks since an 8.8 magnitude quake February 27, 2010 that claimed more than 500 lives and billions of dollars in damage.

Many of the deaths in that quake occurred from local tsunamis that wiped out coastal villages.