A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Chile’s northern Atacama region on Friday, causing power outages and minor landslides but no reported casualties, according to official sources.

The quake occurred at 1:15 p.m. local time (17:15 GMT), 54 kilometers south of the city of Diego de Almagro, according to the National Seismological Center.

President Gabriel Boric posted on X (formerly Twitter) that local authorities had informed him “that no casualties have been reported so far.” He also convened the Risk and Disaster Management Committee (COGRID) “to consolidate information and assess the damage.”

Local media footage showed minor landslides in parts of Copiapó, a city located about 800 kilometers north of Santiago.

“As a result of the earthquake, 23,000 customers are experiencing power outages in the Atacama region,” said Miguel Ortiz, deputy director of emergency management at Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service. He also noted reports of minor debris fall.

Advertisement

20250509_dengue_728x90

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

State-run mining company Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, stated that its operations in the area had not sustained any damage or injuries.

Chile is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, located at the convergence of the Nazca, South American, and Antarctic tectonic plates.

In 1960, the southern city of Valdivia was devastated by a 9.5-magnitude earthquake — the most powerful ever recorded — killing 9,500 people. In 2010, a magnitude 8.8 quake and subsequent tsunami left over 520 dead.

The U.S. government announced on Thursday three new environmental waivers that will fast-track construction of the border wall with Mexico in Arizona and New Mexico—adding to a similar waiver granted in April for work in California.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the waivers will speed up the building of about 36 miles (roughly 58 kilometers) of new barrier in the Yuma and Tucson sectors of Arizona and in the El Paso sector of neighboring Texas.

The exemptions lift requirements to comply with several environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which would ordinarily apply to new roads or physical barriers in these areas. According to DHS, the projects “will close critical gaps in the border wall and enhance border-security operations in the El Paso, Tucson, and Yuma sectors of U.S. Border Patrol.”

“These waiver-backed projects are crucial steps toward securing the southern border and reinforcing our commitment to border security,” the department said.

The secretary’s authority to issue such waivers comes from Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Secretary Noem invoked the same authority in April to accelerate wall construction in California.

Advertisement

20250509_dengue_728x90

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 23,912 migrants along the Mexican border between February and April 2025, following Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Thursday that her administration is seeking to collaborate with the Colombian government to address the activities of criminal groups operating in both countries. This follows reports suggesting the involvement of Colombian nationals in an attack that left eight members of Mexico’s National Guard dead last week in the western part of the country.

“We are looking to collaborate with the Government of Colombia to address any criminal activity involving members of criminal groups in Colombia or, in turn, any member of a Mexican criminal group,” Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference.

Her remarks came in response to statements made by Colombian President Gustavo Petro earlier this week. On Tuesday, Petro claimed that former Colombian soldiers were involved in the deadly attack near the border between the Mexican states of Michoacán and Jalisco, where several armed forces personnel were killed.

“A bomb just exploded against the Mexican army in Michoacán, leaving several dead. The army responded by arresting the suspected perpetrators. Most of them are former Colombian soldiers, and some are still active. The press knows about this, but it hasn’t been widely reported. We are exporting mercenaries to the mafia,” Petro stated.