4 hours ago
Last Updated:August 22, 2025, 08:58 IST
A massive earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck South America early Friday, with reports suggesting the epicenter in the Drake Passage near Antarctica.
Earthquake strikes South America
A massive, magnitude 7.5 earthquake jolted the Drake Passage off South America on Friday morning, following which the Navy Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service in Chile issued a tsunami precaution for the Chilean Antarctic territory, Reuters quoted a bulletin.
The earthquake, which was earlier reported as of magnitude 8.0, was later downgraded to 7.5 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which also stated that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 11 km (7 miles).
The earthquake struck over 700 km southeast of Argentina’s southern city of Ushuaia, which has a population of about 57,000, according to the USGS.
Drake Passage is a body of water located between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica.
While there were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries, reports suggested the earthquake hit the southern part of America at 2.16 am UTC, 7.46 am as per the Indian Standard Time.
On August 17, a magnitude 5.8 undersea earthquake shook the eastern side of Indonesia, injuring 29 people, including two in critical condition.
The quake struck 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) north of Poso district in Central Sulawesi province, according to the US Geological Survey, and was followed by at least 15 aftershocks.
No tsunami warning was issued by Indonesian authorities.
Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency said most of the injured had been taken to the regional government hospital. Most of them were the congregation attending Sunday morning service at a church.
In July, a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake shook Russia’s eastern Kamchatka region and triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific.
Data suggested the Russia earthquake was among the most powerful temblors to have been recorded in modern history.
It struck at a depth of an estimated 13 miles, about 74 miles off the coast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital on the Kamchatka Peninsula, with a population of 180,000.
Following the quake, tsunami waves in Russia reached a maximum of 9.8 to 13.1 feet, 4.9 feet in Japan and 5.7 feet in Hawaii.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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Location : First Published:August 22, 2025, 08:04 IST
News world Magnitude 7.5 Earthquake Hits Drake Passage Off South America, Tsunami Precaution Alert In Chile
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