An earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude struck today in the Atacama region of northern Chile, with no casualties reported, but more than 20,000 households have been left without electricity, local authorities said.

The earthquake was recorded at 13.15 local time (20.15 GMT) at a distance of 54 kilometers from the city of Diego de Almagro, according to the National Seismology Center.

In a post on his X-platform account, President Gabriel Boric said no casualties have been reported so far.

Local media footage and photos show broken windows and shattered walls in the town of Copiapó, 800 kilometres north of Santiago.

“After the earthquake, we have 23,000 customers without electricity in the Atacama region,” while some building collapses were reported, said Miguel Ortiz, the deputy director of the National Disaster Prevention and Response Agency.

Chile is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. Three tectonic plates meet in the region: that of Naska, South America, and Antarctica. In 1960, the city of Valdivia was flattened by a 9.5 magnitude earthquake, the strongest ever recorded. At least 9,500 people were killed. In 2010, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake, followed by a tsunami, killed 520 people.