Five strong aftershocks have hit Chile. The epicentre of the tremors lay off the coast of Libertador O'Higgens, 140 south of the coastal city of Valparaíso, where the inauguration ceremony of the country's new president Sebastián Piñera was disrupted.

The worst tremor registered 7.2 on the Richter scale. In the city of Rancagua, which lies close to the epicentre of the latest series of tremors, the damage is reported to be severe.

Panic
There were scenes of panic among dignitaries gathered for Mr Pinera's inauguration, attended by seven Latin American heads of state. Mr Pinera went ahead and took the oath of office at the seat of the Chilean Congress, and parliament was evacuated after the navy issued a tsunami alert. The tsunami alert has now been withdrawn.

The South American country is still recovering from an 8.8 magnitude earthquake only two weeks ago, in which almost 500 people lost their lives.

Many of them were killed when a tsunami hit the coast later.