A powerful earthquake has hit central Chile, causing
buildings to sway in the capital Santiago, officials
say.
The 8.3-magnitude tremor was centred off the
coast, about 144 miles (232km) north-west of the
capital.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that
"widespread hazardous tsunami waves are
possible".
One person was killed by a falling wall, and
evacuation was ordered in coastal areas. Tsunami
sirens were heard in the port of Valparaiso.
Chilean officials say the earthquake has produced
waves of up to 4.5 metres (15 feet) along the coast
in the region of Coquimbo.
The earthquake struck just off the coast at 19:54
local times (22:54 GMT), about 55km west of the
city of Illapel, the US Geological Survey said.
Officials said it was at the depth of about 10km.
The US Geological Survey initially reported the
tremor as magnitude 7.9, but then quickly revised
the reading to 8.3.
Several strong aftershocks were reported just
minutes later.
Illapel Mayor Denis Cortes reported that one person
was killed by a collapsing wall, and 15 other people
were injured.
Some homes were reportedly damaged in the city.
"Tsunami waves reaching more than three metres
above the tide level are possible along some coasts
of Chile," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
warned.
The earthquake struck as thousands of Chileans
have been travelling to the coast ahead of a week
of celebrations of the national holidays, or Fiestas
Patrias.
Tsunami alerts were also issued for Peru, Hawaii
and parts of California.
The quake was also strongly felt in some Argentine
provinces like Mendoza and in the capital Buenos
Aires several buildings were evacuated, the BBC's
Ignacio de los Reyes reports.
Chile is one of the most seismically active locations
on the globe.
It runs along the boundary between the Nazca and
South American tectonic plates. These are vast
slabs of the Earth's surface that grind past each
other at a rate of up to 80mm per year.
In February 2010, a 8.8-magnitude struck off
central Chile, killing more than 500 people.
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