Chile cancels tsunami alert after 7.4 magnitude earthquake prompts evacuations as far south as Antarctica
Chilean authorities have cancelled evacuation orders in the far south and Antarctica after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of southern Chile, prompting evacuations in the region due to tsunami threats.
The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck just after 9am on Friday at a depth of 10km in the Drake Passage between Cape Horn and Antarctica.
Chile’s SENAPRED disaster agency said there was no damage to critical infrastructure or harm to people, and cancelled the evacuation orders later in the afternoon.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Before the cancellation, authorities said around 2000 people in the remote south and bases in Antarctica had evacuated to higher ground.
Videos on social media showed people calmly evacuating as sirens blared in the background. Photos showed parks and other evacuation points filled with students, workers and other residents throughout Chile’s southern region.
At a press conference Friday afternoon, Alicia Cebrian, director of SENAPRED, said an “instrumental tsunami” was recorded in the Prat Base in Antarctica, with a variation of 6cm in sea level. She added that variations of up to 90cm could be registered in Chile.
After the press conference, the evacuation order for Antarctica was cancelled while the southern Magallanes region remained on alert, with Interior Minister Alvaro Elizalde advising people to stay away from the beach and coastal regions before SENAPRED officially cancelled the evacuation orders later in the afternoon.
More than a dozen aftershocks have been detected since the first quake struck.
