People walk on a road that was severely damaged by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Tarahuin, on the island of Chiloe, a town 1,250 km south of Santiago, Chile, Dec 25, 2016. [Photo/IC]

SALMON ZONE

The area hit by Sunday's quake was south of Valdivia, Chile, where 1,655 people died in a magnitude 9.5 quake in 1960, ranked by the USGS as the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the world.

The region is home to several industrial salmon farms, but there were no signs of structural damage at farms or processing plants, said Jose Miguel Burgos, director of the National Fish and Aquaculture service, a government agency.

"Damage was limited, and neither fishing nor aquaculture activity will be affected by this event," Burgos said.

Fishing and agriculture company Empresas AquaChile SA said its employees in the watch zone had been evacuated and were safe, adding that there was no damage to its facilities.

Several other companies have industrial salmon farming operations in the region, including Blumar SA, Cia Pesquera Camanchaca SA, Australis Seafoods SA, Multiexport Foods SA, Invermar SA, and the local unit of Norway's Marine Harvest ASA.