SANTIAGO (AFP) - A 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook the southern Chilean city of Concepcion on Wednesday, five years after a quake and subsequent tsunami hit the same area killing more than 500 people.

Chile's National Seismological Centre said the latest quake struck at 3.27pm (2.27am Singapore time), with its epicenter in the town of Cobquecura, about 500km south of the capital Santiago.

The National Emergency Office said in an initial report that there were no casualties or major damage and the quake did not create a tsunami risk.

Chilean TV showed people evacuated from buildings in Concepcion and reported some problems with phone lines.

The Feb 27, 2010, earthquake struck just off the coast of Chile's Maule region. It measured 8.8 magnitude, making it one of the largest ever recorded.

It killed more than 500 people and inflicted an estimated US$30 billion in damage.