Powerful quake hits north Chile
A powerful 7.7-magnitude quake has hit northern Chile, knocking out power and damaging buildings.
The quake hit at 1243 local time (1543 GMT), centring on Quillahua village, about 100km north-west of Calama town.
The quake - lasting about 40 seconds - sent panicked residents out into the streets. It could even be felt in the capital Santiago, 1,260km to the south.
"It was horribly strong. It was very long and there was a lot of underground noise," Andrea Riveros, a hotel worker in Calama, told news agency AP.
Shortly after the earthquake struck the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami alert.
Two tectonic plates - the Nazca and the South American - clash in this region.
clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk 