Country declares inland disaster as 2.1-meter waves wash shoreline

No Chinese were injured in disaster There have been no reports of Chinese casualties in Chile following the 8.2-magnitude earthquake that hit the country on Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Chile confirmed on Wednesday. Iquique is home to a consulate-general of China, and the northern coastal town is only 99 km away from the epicenter of the earthquake. 300 female inmates escape About 300 inmates escaped from a women's prison in the northern coastal city of Iquique after the prison's power supply went down when Tuesday's tsunami hit.

Chile has declared disaster areas in three northern regions after an 8.2-magnitude earthquake off its northern coast triggered a tsunami and shook nearby communities.

The quake, which struck at 8:46 pm local time on Tuesday about 86 km northwest of the mining area of Iquique, near the Peruvian border, forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. At least five deaths have been confirmed.

Waves up to 2.1 meters high - small by comparison to major tsunamis - hit some areas, and there have been power outages, fires and landslides.

The government said the disaster declaration in the Arica, Parinacota and Tarapaca regions was aimed at "avoiding instances of looting and disorder".

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who canceled official engagements to coordinate relief efforts, said the country had "faced the emergency well" and called on those in affected regions "to keep calm and follow instructions from the authorities".

Chilean TV broadcast pictures of traffic jams as people tried to leave the affected areas.

Officials said the dead included people who were crushed by collapsing walls or who died of heart attacks.

Bachelet promised troops and police reinforcements to maintain public order while damage was repaired after blocked roads were cleared.

"We're leaving with the children and what we can, but everything is clogged up by people fleeing buildings by the beach," said Liliana Arriaza, 32, who was driving away with her three children.

The US Geological Survey said the quake was shallow at about 17 km below the seabed when it struck.

Mining in Iquique, the world's No 1 copper producer, did not appear to be significantly interrupted.

Photos showed Chileans calmly evacuating coastal areas on foot, with police officers helping bundled-up elderly people and residents load vehicles with their belongings.

Some schools were being used to shelter people, and classes were canceled across most of the country on Wednesday. LATAM Airlines said it had canceled some flights to and from Antofagasta, Iquique and Arica in northern Chile.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake generated a large tsunami with the biggest wave reported at about 2 meters. The Chilean navy said the first big wave hit the coast within 45 minutes.

Iquique has been on high alert in recent weeks after an unusual number of tremors, and a series of aftershocks further frayed nerves in the early hours of Wednesday.

The city is more than 1,500 km north of Chile's capital, Santiago, where the quake was not felt. Chile has strict construction regulations to limit quake damage.

Lauding the country's initial response to the quake, Bachelet said in a televised address: "The government will work as long as necessary to confront this emergency."

In 2010, at the end of Bachelet's first term as president, an 8.8-magnitude quake triggered a tsunami that devastated several coastal towns in central-south Chile, a disaster that killed 526 people.

State-owned Codelco and other major copper companies reported no harm to workers or mines and said operations in northern Chile were normal. Still, the massive Collahuasi mine evacuated workers so they could be with their families.

A tsunami warning was issued for the Pacific coast of Mexico through Central and South America.

"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," the warning center said.

A tsunami advisory was issued for Hawaii, although no disaster was expected.

"Sea level changes and strong currents may occur along all coasts that could be a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as to persons near the shore at beaches and in harbors and marinas," the warning center said.

Authorities in Peru started evacuating communities in the southern coastal region of Ica. Electricity was partially lost in the Peruvian cities of Tacna, Moquegua and Arequipa but there were no reports of deaths or serious damage there.

Reuters - AP