Powerful 8.3 magnitude earthquake hits off the coast of Chile; Tsunami warning issued

A massive 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck the center of Chile, triggering the evacuation of coastal areas and warnings that tsunami waves could reach as far as Japan.

At least three people were killed and 10 hurt in Chile, where thousands of terrified residents rushed out onto the streets in the capital Santiago.

The quake was felt as far away as Argentina, where buildings also swayed. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) put the shallow offshore quake at a magnitude of 8.3 and said it hit just 228 kilometers north of Santiago, a city of 6.6 million people.

The quake, which struck at 7:54 pm (2254 GMT), hit at a depth of eight kilometers, USGS said. Seismologists also reported two aftershocks, both above 6.0. The Chilean government put the main earthquake at 8.0 on the Richter scale.

Interior Minister Jorge Burgos said that the evacuation of coastal towns and cities was ordered as a precautionary measure. The quake was felt as far away as Buenos Aires, about 1,400 kilometers away, while a tsunami warning was initially in place for the whole of Chile and Peru's Pacific coastline.

In coastal La Serena, in the north of Chile, "people were running in all directions," said resident Gloria Navarro. A similar fear seized residents in Argentina, while El Salvador, in Central America, was also on the lookout for destructive waves.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that "hazardous" tsunami waves were possible for some parts of Chile's shoreline, including above three meters (10 feet) the tide level. Tsunami waves were also possible along French Polynesia, Hawaii and California, officials said, as well as smaller waves as far afield as Japan and New Zealand.

The precautionary alert for Peru was later called off, civil defense officials said, but scared residents in the city of Ilo, close to the border with Chile, remained out on the streets and on higher ground nonetheless.