SANTIAGO: Chile on Wednesday called off a tsunami alert declared after an 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of the country.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo announced the decision by the national disaster agency ONEMI, and raised the death toll from the quake from five to six.
Indonesia says could be hit by small tsunami from quake
JAKARTA: Indonesia warned Wednesday that it could be hit by a small tsunami generated by an 8.2-magnitude earthquake that struck off Chile's Pacific coast and warned people to stay away from beaches.
A tsunami up to half a metre (1.6 feet) high "will possibly affect several areas in Indonesia" from early Thursday, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
Chile orders evacuation as quake kills 5
SANTIAGO: A powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake hit Chile's Pacific coast Tuesday, killing at least five people as tsunami waves of more than two meters lashed the shore.
Panicked residents poured into the streets after the authorities ordered them to flee to higher ground, while President Michelle Bachelet declared parts of northern Chile hit by the offshore quake to be disaster zones.
"The street lights were busted, people ran terrified. After the earthquake there were several aftershocks," Veronica Castillo told AFP from Arica, 1,000 miles north of the Chilean capital Santiago.
Military officials will be sent the areas to prevent looting and disorder, she said.
In the northern city of Iquique, closest to the epicenter, some 300 prisoners escaped from a jail amid the chaos triggered by the big tremor, which lasted two minutes.
The quake struck at 8:46 pm local time (2346 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), 83 kilometers from Iquique on Chile's northern coast, the United States Geological Survey said.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert for residents living along more than 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) of coastline in South and Central America.
It said waves of more than six feet (two meters) had been generated.
Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said at least five people were killed and three seriously injured. He said late Tuesday the tsunami alert would last at least another six hours.
Disaster relief agency ONEMI's director Ricardo Toro said the quake had not caused major damage.
Still, the control tower at Iquique airport was hit, as were roads out of the city. Power cuts in the city of Arica left 80 percent of it in the dark.
Amid Chile's evacuation order, its Ecuadoran and Peruvian counterparts also issued warnings.
Ecuador later reduced its alert from red to amber but maintained the higher level of vigilance on the exposed Galapagos Islands out in the Pacific.
Tremors were felt as far inland as Bolivia, and the quake was followed by a weaker 6.2 magnitude aftershock.
Power cuts, buildings burn
In Chile, Toro said the first waves of the tsunami had reached Pisagua, on the northern coast, and were expected to travel south over five hours.
CNN showed footage of streets full of panicked people and some buildings burning brightly against the night sky.
The rush to evacuate to safe areas caused traffic jams, but no cuts in telephone service or drinking water were reported. There were power outages in some areas.
Chile's Deputy Interior Minister Mahmud Aleuy reported that in Iquique the sea had withdrawn 2.5 meters from the coast, a prelude to the arrival of a dangerous surge.
"Everyone along our coast should be alert and ready," Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa said on Twitter.
In Peru, the southern coastal area was also put on alert while roads along the coast were closed, said the mayor of the capital, Susana Villaran.
"This is a warning for the population to take all precautionary measures," Peruvian naval commander Colbert Ruiz told AFP.
"An alert means being on watch but does not confirm the arrival of a tsunami," he said. "So far, there is nothing."
Honduras in Central America also declared a tsunami alert, but Nicaragua called off one it had declared earlier.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also issued a warning for Colombia and Panama, and "watches" for at least six other countries.
Chile is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, and a large earthquake has long been expected in the north of the country.
No immediate US tsunami threat
LOS ANGELES: US officials say they've found no threat of a tsunami along the coasts of Alaska, California, Oregon or Washington after a major earthquake near Chile, with danger to Hawaii limited to potentially strong currents at beaches.
Bill Knight, a scientist at the National Tsunami Warning Center, says early data show that by the time waves generated by Tuesday night's magnitude-8.2 quake reach the West Coast, they'll be too small to pose any threat.
Director Chip McCreery of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says officials don't expect a major tsunami threat to Hawaii. But the center issued an advisory saying swimmers, boaters and others at beaches might see strong currents and sea level changes.
Chilean authorities ordered an evacuation of coastal areas there in case of a tsunami.
President declares northern Chile disaster area after quake
SANTIAGO: President Michelle Bachelet declared parts of northern Chile hit by an 8.2 magnitude offshore earthquake to be disaster zones.
Bachelet said she would travel to the regions of Arica and Tarapaca on Wednesday, and send military officials to the areas to prevent looting and disorder. At least five quake-related deaths were reported by the interior ministry.
Massive 8.2 earthquake off Chile coast sparks tsunami alert
SANTIAGO: A major earthquake of magnitude 8.2 struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami, causing landslides that blocked highways and leading to five deaths.
Officials said the dead included people who were crushed by collapsing walls or were killed by heart attacks.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was shallow at 12.5 miles (20.1 km) below the seabed and struck about 100 km/snorthwest of the mining port of Iquique near the Peruvian border.
The government said it had no reports of significant damage to coastal areas, but around 300 prisoners took advantage of the confusion and escaped from a female penitentiary in Iquique, Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said.
About 16 of the women were soon recaptured, Chile's investigative police said, while security forces fanned out through the area amid reports of power outages.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake generated a large tsunami with the biggest wave reported at 2.3 meters.
The Chilean navy said the first big wave hit the coast within 45 minutes.
Iquique is a key copper exporting port, close to Chile's/smain copper mines. The area has been on high alert in recent weeks after an unusual number of tremors.
The government evacuated Chile's northern coast and a tsunami warning was issued for the Pacific coast of Mexico through Central and South America.
Chile is the world's No. 1 copper producer but key mining firms said there was no serious damage to their operations. The tsunami alert in the country would however go on for at least another six hours, the government said late on Tuesday.
In 2010, an 8.8-magnitude quake triggered a tsunami that devastated several coastal towns in central-south Chile, a disaster that killed 526 people.
Chile's ONEMI emergency office said late on Tuesday that landslides were partially blocking some roads and highways.
State-owned miner Codelco reported no harm to its workers or mines, and said its operations in northern Chile were normal.
Chile's Collahuasi copper mine and port had no immediate problems following the quake, chief executive Jorge Gomez told Reuters, and mining company BHP Billiton said it had not received reports of damage.
"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
"An evaluation of the Pacific wide tsunami threat is underway and there is a possibility that Hawaii could be elevated to a watch or warning status," it added.
Authorities in Peru started evacuating communities in the southern coastal region of Ica. Electricity was partially lost in the Peruvian cities of Tacna, Moquegua and Arequipa but there were no reports of deaths or serious damage there.
