A magnitude-8.2 earthquake struck off Chile's northern coast on Tuesday night, causing tsunami warnings and thousands of Chileans to flee their homes to take refuge. Six people are dead, the Associated Press reported.
The earthquake struck 61 miles northwest of the city of Iquique at around 8:46 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Power outages were reported and roads were blocked as a result of loosened landslides. Some 900,000 residents of the country's coastal area evacuated for higher ground.
Ricardo Yevenes, a psychologist, was with a patient close to the epicenter in Arica when the quake struck.
"It quickly began to move the entire office, things were falling," Yevenes told a local TV station, according to the AP. "Almost the whole city is in darkness."
The six fatalities were caused by falling wreckage or fatal heart attacks, Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo said, according to The Weather Channel .
The tsunami warning was lifted as of Wednesday, the AP reported. Residents north of Antofagasta were able to return to their coastal homes by Wednesday morning.
The quake's impact stretched 290 miles away in the capital of Bolivia. Authorities say tremors felt there were equivalent to a magnitude-4.5 quake, the AP reported.
Fires were also reported in Iquique, as well as a massive outbreak of 300 female prisoners from an Iquique jail. Peru's boarder was closed and hundreds of soldiers were sent to contain the situation.
"We have taken action to ensure public order in the case of Iquique," Penailillo said according to The Weather Channel, "where we've had a massive escape of more than 300 female prisoners from the Iquique jail, so that the armed forces and police can coordinate and provide tranquility and security to residents."
There were no tsunami warnings issued for the U.S., with the exception of powerful waves expected at Hawaii's beaches, the AP reported.
Chile, which produces the most copper in the world, is also one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, the AP reported. This is due to the Nazca tectonic plate, located off Chile's coast, constantly shifting underneath the South American plate.
