A powerful 8.2-magnitude quake struck the coast of northern Chile overnight, sparking a Tsunami and killing at least six people.
Much of the northern coast has been evacuated and was battered by two-meter-high waves.
President President Michelle Bachelet declared the area a disaster zone, and promising troops and extra police to keep order and reopen roads blocked by landslides and falling debris.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck around 100 km north of the city of Iquique, close to the Peru border.
The Chilean navy said following the tremblor, the first big wave hit the coast within 45 minutes.
Initially, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center were taking no chances and issued a blanket Tsunami warning for the Pacific coast from Mexico down through South America.
The Tsunami advisory has now been lifted.
LATAM Airlines canceled several flights to Antofagasta, Iquique and Arica in northern Chile.
Iquique is a strategic port close to one of Chile’s main copper mining regions and has experienced unusually high seismic activity in recent weeks.
Chile is one of the world’s most seismically active countries but has strict quake-proof construction regulations and protocols in place to deal effectively with evacuations.
The quake was strongly felt in neighboring Peru and the coastal region of Ica was partially evacuated, but there were no initial reports of deaths or major damage there.
