Highways have been blocked, hundreds of prisoners have escaped from a penitentiary and five people have died after an earthquake struck Chile.

A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook far northern Chile on Monday, but caused no injuries or damage, Chilean and US experts said.

Residents in Chile’s earthquake-ravaged city of Concepcion dumped new televisions, fridges and furniture on roadsides on Sunday to avoid arrest.

Aftershocks rattled south-central Chile on Friday, seven days after one of the strongest earthquakes on record ravaged the area.

A tsunami alert sent terrified Chileans running for higher ground on Wednesday, while a surge of troops finally brought order to Concepción.

Chilean rescue crews fanned out with sniffer dogs on Wednesday around quake-ravaged cities and villages, still hoping to find survivors.

Aid pledges poured into Chile on Monday after the government made its first requests for help as the death toll from the earthquake reached 723.

Troops fired tear gas and imposed a curfew on Monday to stop looters running off with trolley-loads of goods from the wreckage of Chile’s quake.

Chile’s earthquake death toll topped 700 on Sunday as rescuers searched for survivors and the extent of the disaster became clear in coastal areas.