Santiago, February 27: The US Geological Survey reports that an 8.3-magnitude earthquake has struck southern Chile.
The quake hit 197 miles (317 kilometres) southwest of the capital, Santiago, and at a depth of 36.9 miles (59.4 kilometres) at 3:34 am (0634 GMT; 1:34 am EST).
A tsunami warning was issued early on Saturday for Chile and Peru and a tsunami watch was issued for Ecuador, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre reported, after the massive earthquake in Chile.
The centre said: “An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicentre within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours.”
-Agencies