A magnitude-6.8 earthquake has struck central Chile. It was centered in almost exactly the same spot where last year's magnitude-8.8 quake triggered a tsunami and devastated coastal communities.

Electricity and phone service were disrupted and thousands of people fled to higher ground following Friday's tremor. No casualties or material damage have been reported. President Sebastian Pinera appealed for calm and praised his government and Chileans in general for responding quickly.

Sebastian Pinera said, "There tremors are considered aftershocks of the earthquake we had last year. In fact the experts from the seismological center had anticipated that we could expect aftershocks for up to five years after the February 27th earthquake."