chile earthquake

• First quake hit at 11:39 a.m. local time; second 16 minutes later; third 27 minutes later
• First shook the ground near Chilean coast; epicenter about 90 miles from Valparaiso

Three strong earthquakes rocked Chile on Thursday, causing significant damage in at least one city, the country's new president said Thursday.

A 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit followed by a 6.7-magnitude quake 16 minutes later, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. A third, measured at magnitude 6.0, came 27 minutes later.

They were the strongest aftershocks to rattle Chile since a February 27 earthquake on the country's west coast that toppled buildings and spawned a tsunami, killing several hundred people. Thursday's quakes shook the ground near Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins near the coast just as Chile prepared to inaugurate a new president, Sebastian Pinera.

"There is significant damage in Rancagua," the new president said. "We're going to send the necessary armed forces to guarantee citizens' safety." Rancagua Mayor Eduardo Soto said that no fatalities were immediately reported and that the biggest worry was damage to homes.

After his inauguration Thursday, Pinera visited Rancagua, where he confirmed there were no initial reports of fatalities.

The country's national emergency authorities also put in place a tsunami alert for the coastal area near where the earthquakes hit, and authorities ordered evacuations of some coastal areas..