A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake has struck near the coast of south-central Chile shaking buildings and causing blackouts in parts of the capital Santiago, 320 kilometres away.
Reports of casualties are beginning to filter in.
A tsunami warning was issued for Chile and Peru by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, and a tsunami watch was issued for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica.
Soon after, the centre said the quake had generated a tsunami that may have been destructive along the Chilean coast near the epicentre.
“Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated,” the centre said on its website.
“It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicentre and could also be a threat to more distant coasts.”
It did not have details on the size of the tsunami.
Japan’s meteorological agency also warned that a tsunami might be generated.
“There is a possibility that tsunami will widely occur in the Pacific Ocean,” an agency official said.
“We are now checking if tsunami may hit Japanese coastal areas.”
Interesting nite - Japan just had a quake 12 hours ago