Santiago, Chile (CNN) — Three strong earthquakes rocked Chile on Thursday morning, just as the country was swearing in a new president.
A 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit at 11:39 a.m. local time (9:39 a.m. ET), followed by a 6.7-magnitude quake 16 minutes later, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. A third, measured at magnitude 6.0, came 27 minutes later.
They were the strongest aftershocks to rattle Chile since a February 27 earthquake on the country’s west coast that toppled buildings and spawned a tsunami, killing several hundred people.The first quake Thursday shook the ground near Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins, near the Chilean coast, just as Chile prepared to inaugurate a new president, Sebastian Pinera.Pinera said Thursday afternoon that he will declare the area a catastrophe zone. The epicenter was about 95 miles (152 km) south-southwest of the capital, Santiago, and about 90 miles (145 km) away from Valparaiso, where Pinera was to be inaugurated. Television footage showed the inauguration proceeding without a hitch.
A second earthquake — with an initial magnitude of 6.9 — struck moments later. It was about 89 miles (143 km) southwest of Santiago, the USGS said. The third was about 86 miles (138 km) southwest of Santiago.