HONOLULU – Hawaii is under a tsunami watch after an 8.3-magnitude earthquake off the coast of north Chile.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued the watch, saying a tsunami may have been generated by Wednesday’s earthquake.
If there is a tsunami, the center estimates that the first wave would arrive about 3 a.m. Thursday.
The powerful earthquake shook Chile’s capital, causing buildings to sway and people to take refuge in the streets. Several strong aftershocks hit within minutes as tsunami alarms sounded in the nearby port of Valparaiso. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but authorities said some adobe houses collapsed in the inland city of Illapel, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) north of Santiago.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported the quake at a preliminary magnitude of 7.9, but it quickly revised the reading upward to 8.3.