6.3 quake hits northern Chile, no damage reported

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit northern Chile on Monday, near the city of Iquique, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damages, emergency officials and local media said.

Chile's National Emergency Office, known as Onemi, was gathering information in the stricken area, but did not have initial reports of injuries or damages, a spokesman said.

The earthquake hit at 2:01 p.m. (1701 GMT), the U.S. Geological Survey said. The USGS initially reported a magnitude of 6.6, which was later revised to 6.3.

The quake's epicenter was 22 miles (35 km) beneath the surface and 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Iquique, the USGS said. The agency previously located the quake 55 miles (88 km) north-northeast of Iquique.

Chile's Cooperativa Radio network reported landslides on some roads in the Iquique area, but no reports of injuries.

The Collahausi copper mine, owned by Xstrata Copper and Anglo-American Plc and that produces 8.2 percent of Chile's copper, is located 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Iquique.

The Xstrata press office in Chile did not immediately release information about whether the earthquake affected operations at Collahausi.

A spokeswoman for Chile's government-owned Codelco, the world's top copper miner, said that operations at its giant Chuquicamata mine were not affected.

Two people died in a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in November in Chile, which damaged or destroyed thousands of homes.