The strongest aftershock since Chile's devastating earthquake rocked the South American country Thursday as President Sebastian Pinera was sworn into office.
The 7.2-magnitude aftershock was stronger than the quake that destroyed the Haitian capital on Jan. 12.
There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries but the temblor - and at least three other aftershocks - strongly swayed buildings -shook windows and provoked nervous smiles among the dignitaries attending Pinera's inauguration at the congressional building in coastal Valparaiso.
The biggest aftershock happened along the same fault zone as Chile's magnitude-8.8 quake on Feb. 27, said geophysicist Don Blakeman at the US Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado.
Blakeman said Chile now can expect to feel "aftershocks of the aftershock."
Bolivian President Evo Morales seemed briefly disoriented and Peru's Alan Garcia joked that it gave them "a moment to dance."
Outgoing President Michelle Bachelet arrived in an open limousine, followed by Pinera, who entered the hall of Congress to loud applause, shaking hands with politicians and dignitaries, and then swore his oath as president.
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