SANTIAGO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A moderate quake rattled central Chile in the wee hours of Thursday, causing panic among residents in the Chilean capital.
The quake, measuring 5.1 magnitude on the Richter scale, struck at 00:18 a.m. local time and was centered in O'Higgins region, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake was clearly felt in downtown Santiago, swaying buildings and furniture. Frightened residents in the city were seen fleeing homes to the streets.
There were no immediate reports of casualties and property damage.
The tremor was the latest of hundreds of aftershocks to hit the South American nation following the Feb. 27 massive earthquake. On Wednesday alone, Chile was shook by three quakes with a magnitude large than five.
