Story highlights
NEW: "It was just a scare," a regional emergency official says
The earthquake struck central Chile
There were no immediate reports of damage
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Chile Monday afternoon, authorities there said.
“It was just a scare,” said Gonzalo Arroyo, regional emergency management director in Concepcion province.
“The only problem we have was that cell phone lines became saturated moments after the earthquake,” he said.
The U.S. Geological Survey gave the quake a preliminary magnitude of 6.2.
The earthquake was about 16.5 kilometers (10 miles) deep, Chilean emergency officials said, and its epicenter was about 62 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Concepcion, Chile.
Several aftershocks were reported after the quake, emergency official Miguel Ortiz told CNN Chile.
CNN’s Rafael Romo contributed to this report.