SANTIAGO, Chile

Strong earthquake causes minor damage in north

A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake shook Chile’s northern Pacific shore Sunday, leading authorities to call for a precautionary evacuation in some coastal areas, but only minor damage was reported.

Chile’s navy said there had been a possibility of a minor tsunami between the northern towns of Arica and Tocopilla, leading authorities to urge evacuation.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there did not appear to be a threat of a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey originally reported the quake at a 7.0 magnitude but later downgraded it. It struck about 4:16 p.m. at a depth of 12 1/2 miles. Its epicenter was 37 miles northwest of Iquique.

The USGS said a second tremor hit about 10 minutes later some 15 miles away registering 5.1. A third large shake registering 4.9 hit in the same area some 40 minutes later.

HELENA, Mont.

After emergency landing, passengers wait 5 hours

A flight heading from Canada to Mexico with 181 passengers and six crew members aboard made an emergency medical landing Sunday in western Montana after encountering extreme turbulence that slightly injured two flight attendants.

Sunwing Airlines spokeswoman Janine Chapman said the Boeing 737 landed around 7:30 a.m. Sunday at Helena Regional Airport, a small hub unaccustomed to dealing with international travelers. The flight’s passengers waited in the aircraft for more than five hours before being told to stay in a cordoned-off area in the terminal as the company dispatched another plane to continue the journey.

Chapman said a 27-year-old male flight attendant received a cut on his head during the turbulence. She said no passengers were injured.

CHARLESTON, W.Va.

More snow, ice expected in Midwest, Mid-Atlantic

Just as the trees started blooming and the birds started chirping, another round of snow and ice was bearing down on the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic.

Snow was expected by Monday afternoon from the Central Appalachians to the Jersey Shore, making the morning commute treacherous for motorists.

Parts of eastern West Virginia, central and west-central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley could see up to 10 inches of snow. Smaller accumulations were expected in Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Parts of southern Virginia and North Carolina braced for a slippery mix of rain, sleet and snow.

A band of snow fell across Iowa on Saturday evening.

BELGRADE, Serbia

Ruling center-right party wins election by landslide

The ruling center-right party that has vowed to overhaul Serbia’s struggling economy and push for membership in the European Union won a landslide victory in a parliamentary vote Sunday, according to unofficial results.

The Belgrade-based independent CeSID polling group said the Serbian Progressive Party won about 160 seats in the country’s 250-seat parliament.

The Progressives are expected to choose their leader Aleksandar Vucic – a former hard-line, pro-Russian nationalist who has become a pro-EU advocate – as prime minister.

In his victory speech, Vucic pledged to vigorously fight against corruption and crime, and revive the economy in the troubled Balkan nation of about 7 million people.

– From new service reports