Several inhabitants of the country’s financial capital were seen walking into the street in their pajamas, with a few stringing up hammocks to sleep outside in fear of aftershocks.
The Brasilia University Observatory said the quake struck at almost exactly 9:00 p.m. local time about 165 miles (270 km) south-southeast of Sao Paulo at a depth of 6 miles (10 km) beneath the floor of the South Atlantic.
Although the shaking lasted only a few seconds and caused no significant damage or injuries, the 5.2 magnitude quake ranks as one of the strongest to jolt the region in the past century.
It was also strongly felt in Resende, Angra dos Reis and Rio de Janeiro.
