A tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center for Chile and Peru, and later extended to Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica.
The earthquake struck at around 3.34am local time (6.43GMT). Its epicentre was just 75 miles from Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city, where more than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio river, and 60 miles from the ski town of Chillan, a gateway to Andean ski resorts that was destroyed in a 1939 earthquake.
A tsunami warning is in effect for the South American Pacific Coast, stretching up as far as Ecuador, and the authorities of the Hawaiian Islands have been put on alert, although no warnings or watches have been issued so far.
Make sure to plan your surfing schedule and never enter the water alone. Windsurfers and kitesurfers should check the Beaufort Scale before hitting the water.
