Centered in Chile’s Antofagasta region, the quake knocked out power over a wide area and caused buildings to sway in the capital of Santiago, 780 miles to the south.
Violent shaking for nearly a minute damaged thousands of houses and terrified people as far away as the Brazilian capital of Sao Paulo, 1,500 miles (2,400 km) to the east.
The intense earthquake struck at 12:43 p.m. local time from an epicenter near the town of Quillahua.
Officials said that at least 15,000 individuals were affected in the Antofagasta region, with 80 percent of the homes in the Tocopilla area sustaining damage — 70 percent of them in the former salt mining camp of María Elena.
The quake was followed by six strong aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 5.7. Additionally, the quake triggered a tsunami warning, which was later lifted.