8.3-Magnitude quake Strikes Chile, Tsunami Warning Issued

A powerful quake has hit central Chile, causing buildings to sway in the capital Santiago, officials say.

Illapel residents reported damage to their homes, Interior Minister Jorge Burgos told reporters.

In coastal La Serena, in the north of Chile, “people were running in all directions”, said resident Gloria Navarro. The potential Tsunami alert by the Emergency Management of Honolulu Department indicates that the wave could hit Hawaii between 2:30 a.m and 3:00 a.m Thursday, local time. Other nations in the Oceania region as well as Peru have recommended that residents evacuate from coastal lowlands, as high waves are expected.

Tsunami advisories were issued Wednesday night for parts of the Southern and Central California coast after a massive natural disaster struck Chile. AFP PHOTO /VLADIMIR RODASVLADIMIR RODAS/AFP/Getty Images People leave a supermarket during a strong quake in Santiago on September 16, 2015.

At least three people were killed by the quake about 280km north of Santiago, the biggest natural disaster since 2010 to hit the world’s top copper producer. “Our city panicked”, Cortes said.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported the quake has a 7.9 magnitude but quickly changed it to 8.3.

The mayor of Illapel, which is near the epicentre, said that a 26-year-old woman had been killed by a collapsing wall, and 15 others were reported injured.

It was the first major natural disaster to strike Chile since hundreds died following an 8.8-magnitude quake in 2010.

Officials ordered people to evacuate low-lying areas along Chile’s Pacific shore, from Puerto Aysen in the south to Arica in the north. Cars streamed inland carrying people to higher ground.

The USGS has also issued a Pacific-wide tsunami threat message and a tsunami advisory for Hawaii; an advisory is the second-lowest on a four-tiered warning scale. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.

Waves triggered by the natural disaster have been observed along the Chilean coastline, the country’s national office of emergency said.

A tsunami watch has also been issued for the USA island of Hawaii.

Now the weather is dry across much of Chile, including near where the natural disaster occurred, AccuWeather Meteroologist Jordan Root said.

Footage aired on Chilean state TV showed water flowing into the streets of Concon, a coastal town near Valparaiso. It destroyed 220,000 homes and washed away many seaside resorts, riverfronts and docks.

Since 1973, Chile has had more than a dozen quakes of magnitude-7.0 and above.

Chile’s location on the geological “Ring of Fire” means it often sees large, risky earthquakes.