An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale jolted off the coast of Libertador O'Higgins, Chile, Wednesday night, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake, which occurred at 9:49 p.m. local time (0249 GMT Thursday), was centered 320 km southwest of Santiago, the USGS said.

The quake shook buildings in the Chilean capital of Santiago and caused panic among residents, a Xinhua witness said.