A powerful earthquake has struck off northern Chile, triggering a tsunami alert and killing at least five people and causing serious injuries to several others
The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 8.2 quake struck at 20:46 local time (23:46 GMT) about52 miles north-west of the mining area of Iquique and was felt as far away as Peru and the Bolivian capital La Paz.
Waves up to six feet high have hit some areas in Chile, and there have been power cuts, fires and landslides.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in affected areas, where a state of emergency has been declared, said the BBC.
Officials said the dead included people who were crushed by collapsing walls or died of heart attacks.
While the government said it had no reports of significant damage to coastal areas, a number of adobe homes were reported destroyed in Arica.
At least eight strong aftershocks followed in the few hours after the quake, including a 6.2 tremor.
