Santiago, Sep 22 (IANS): Massive aftershocks have been felt in Chile in the wake of the 8.4-magnitude earthquake that hit the country last week, the South American country's National Office of Emergencies has said.

At least nine aftershocks jolted the region between the towns of Illapel and Ovalle on Monday, reported Xinhua news agency.

The strongest aftershock measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale was recorded at 15.39 Hrs (local time) 63 km away from Illapel, while the weakest one measuring 5.3 rocked the region at 11.37 Hrs (local time) 74 km southwest of Ovalle.

According to Chile's National Office of Emergencies, at least 11 people were killed and nine others were injured when a strong earthquake struck on the evening of September 16.

Overall damage from the quake was less extensive, proving the benefits of stringent construction standards and exhaustive disaster preparedness measures in the earthquake-prone nation.