Earlier today, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake struck west of Illapel, Chile.
The quake, which comes as a result of thrust faulting between Central Chile’s Nazca and South America tectonic plates, has warranted a tsunami warning from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The PTWC warning indicates that “widespread hazardous tsunami waves” are a possibility in light of the preliminary earthquake parameters. For the next three hours, tsunami waves caused by the quake are a possibility for some of Chile and Peru’s coasts.
BBC reports that the tremor, which was centered off the coast some 144 miles north-west of the nation’s capital, caused buildings to sway in Santiago as the quake struck at the heart of the country.
While there were no immediate reports of damaging following the powerful earthquake, coastal areas were ordered to evacuate while tsunami sirens could be heard blaring in the port of Valparaiso.
The Guardian‘s correspondent in Chile, Jonathan Franklin, was quoted as having said that he was “right at one of the biggest surf breaks in Chile” when the quake struck, causing him and others to flee towards higher ground in an attempt to escape the chaos.
Franklin described shaking wine glasses and screaming children during what he perceived to be a roughly two-minute long quake, one which he referred to as “a very long quake.”
I was right at one of the biggest surf breaks in Chile, a national holiday is in two days, the entire country is on vacation starting today, so beaches are packed (…) The wine glasses started to shake and the kids started to scream, it was a very long quake, it must have been about two minutes long.
As a result of the massive quake, a Tsunami alert has been issued for Hawaii, ABC News reports.
