Earthquake shakes Chile’s capital, causes buildings to sway

SANTIAGO, Chile  — A strong earthquake caused buildings to sway in Chile’s capital on Monday as thousands of people marched in the city’s center to demand better social services and less economic inequality.

There were no immediate reports of damages from the quake and the navy discounted any threat of a tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey put its preliminary magnitude at 6.0 and said its epicenter was located 17.4 miles (28 kilometers) southwest of Illapel, Chile near the country’s central coast. It had a depth of 49 kilometers.

Authorities in Chile said the quake was felt in the country’s capital and central cities. It struck amid the latest in a wave of protests against the government of President Sebastián Piñera. The unrest has forced the cancellation of two major international summits, and left at least 20 people have died in violent clashes, looting and arson.

Chile is located in the so-called “Ring of Fire,” which makes it one of the most seismic countries in the world. An 8.8-magnitude quake, one of the strongest ever recorded, and the tsunami it unleashed, killed more than 500 people, destroyed 220,000 homes and washed away docks, riverfronts and seaside resorts.