The authorities in Chile have issued a tsunami warning in the southernmost region of the country after a strong earthquake - with a magnitude of 7.5 - was registered off the southern coasts of Chile and Argentina in the Drake Passage, which separates South America from Antarctica, world agencies reported, quoted by BTA.
"We call for the evacuation of the coast in the entire region along the Strait of Magellan“, wrote in a publication in "Ex“ Chilean President Gabriel Boric, after the country's emergency services also issued a warning and ordered the evacuation of Antarctic bases in the area.
Video footage posted on social media showed people evacuating amid the sound of warning sirens. According to the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of Chile, the waves will reach bases in Antarctica and cities in the southernmost part of Chile in the coming hours.
There are currently no reports of casualties or damage, the Associated Press notes.
According to information from the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 10 kilometers below the ocean floor in the Drake Passage and about 219 kilometers south of the Argentine city of Ushuaia, which is considered the southernmost city in the world. Local authorities did not report any material damage or evacuations.