Officials fear a huge tsunami could be heading for Chile after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Argentina.

The warning came after the quake struck around 200km (124miles) south of Puerto Williams, near Chile’s southern tip, at 9am local time. According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake struck at a depth of 10km, with four more smaller aftershocks being recorded in the region shortly after.

The US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that Chile risks facing tsunami waves that could be up to 9ft tall, while Antarctica faces potential waves of up to 3ft.

Chile’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA) estimated that waves will reach bases in Antarctica and cities in Chile’s extreme south in the coming hours.

Chilean disaster authorities said the coastal area of the Magallanes Region in Southern Chile would have to be evacuated due to the tsunami risk. Video footage from the region showed civilians slowly making their way out of the danger zone.

Another clip, this time taken from the city of Punta Arenas, showed scores of people evacuating the city, alongside dozens of cars that were speeding out of the region.

National threat evaluation systems said that tsunami waves from this quake may appear within 300km (186miles) of the epicentre, seemingly putting the Falkland Islands out of harm’s way.

The National Disaster Prevention and Response System, SENAPRED, added that it will ‘continue to assess the impact on people and damage to infrastructure and basic services’.
It also reminded Chileans: ‘Don’t forget to consider your pet and its needs.’