Warnings were also issued for Peru, New Zealand, California, Hawaii and other Pacific states.
Advertisement
Authorities in Chile say at least five people have been killed in the wake of a magnitude-8.3 earthquake that hit off the country’s northern coast Wednesday night.
The USGS first reported the magnitude of the quake at 7.9 and revised it up to 8.3. Forecasters expect strong currents and dangerous waves, and the ocean current could be especially hazardous for several hours, according to the Tsunami Warning Center.
A powerful 8.3 magnitude earthquake followed by a dozen strong aftershocks has struck off the coast of central Chile.
Authorities said some adobe houses collapsed in the inland city of Illapel, about 175 miles north of Santiago.
Coastal areas were ordered to evacuate shortly after the quake struck, including the port city of Valparaiso near Santiago.
The quake was felt as far away as Buenos Aires, in Argentina, about 1,400 kilometres away, while a tsunami warning was in place for the whole of Chile’s coastline.
Cars were seen driving inland, taking people to higher grounds.
People have been asked to evacuate low-lying areas along the 2,400 mile Pacific shore of the country in anticipation of the tsunami.
Tsunami advisories were issued by Hawaii, California and French Polynesia.
In Santiago, a city of 6.6 million people, thousands fled swaying buildings, an AFP reporter said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami with waves of up to four-point-six meters was observed around 8:50 p.m. near the Chilean coast. A tsunami of at least 13-feet high strike on the central coast in Chile in the hours after the quake, The Weather Channel reported.
Speaking to Sky News, journalist Mario Faray described the situation in the city as “total chaos” after a series of tsunami alerts were issued for coastal regions.
If that turns out to be the case, it will be a sign that Chile’s traditionally strong risk reduction measures and emergency planning had gotten better in the last five years.
Advertisement
The area where the earthquake hit is along the same techtonic plate which saw the world’s largest-ever recorded earthquake hit in 1960.
