Drake passage: A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck the Drake Passage, a region between South America and Antarctica, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Thursday morning.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the earthquake occurred at 9:58 am local time at a depth of 10 kilometers beneath the seafloor. The seismic activity was centered in the Drake Passage, located between Cape Horn and the Antarctic continent.
USGS announced on the social media platform X that several weaker aftershocks followed the initial quake. Despite the intensity of the earthquake, there have been no immediate reports of casualties or material damage.
In response to the seismic event, the Chilean National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (ONEMI) advised the evacuation of a coastal area in the southern city of Magallanes due to the risk of a potential tsunami.
The Drake Passage is a significant body of water located between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, Chile, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica.