Earthquake recorded near Santiago in Chile

Buildings shake in capital

No damage immediately reported

Evacuation cancelled as tsunami fears fade

A major earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck off the west coast of Chile on Monday, rocking the capital Santiago and briefly causing alarm along the Pacific Coast but not producing any serious damage.

The quake was centered 22 miles west of the coastal city of Valparaiso at a shallow depth of 6.2 miles below the sea, and about 85 miles from Santiago, the US Geological Survey said.

"It was short but very powerful," said Paloma Salamo, a 26-year-old nurse, who was in a clinic in Vina del Mar, just north of Valparaiso, when the quake struck.