Chilean authorities have ordered the migration of the country's northern coastline following an 8.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast which generated a tsunami measuring up to 6.3 feet high.
The powerful earthquake flash a tsunami warning for Chile, Peru and Ecuador, US officials said.
The quake struck at 8.46 pm local time (2346 GMT) at the relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), 83 kilometers from Iquique on Chile's northern coast, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
It hit in an area that has been rocked by numerous quakes over the past two weeks.
The latest tremor shook buildings in parts of the nearby nations of Bolivia and Peru
Waves measuring almost 2 meters already were striking cities on the northern coast, the Chilean Navy said. Television stations showed residents evacuating calmly.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a warning.
"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," it said.
The warning said that aside from Chile, the coasts of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua were also at risk. A tsunami of up to 6.3 feet (1.92 metres) could strike the town of Pisagua, Chile, within 44 minutes of the quake, it said.
Reties also issued a tsunami alert after the quake, which they registered at 7.9.
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.
In February 2010, central and southern Chile were hit by a powerful earthquake of 8.8-magnitude followed by a tsunami that devastated dozens of towns.
The quake left more than 500 dead and $30 billion in damage to infrastructure.
The strongest earthquake ever recorded on Earth also happened in Chile - a magnitude-9.5 tremor in 1960 that killed more than 5,000 people.
Source: Telegraph