An expanding regional tsunami warning and watch has been issued for parts of the Pacific located near the earthquake epicenter. An evaluation of the Pacific wide tsunami treat is underway.

At this time there are no reports of damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake was very shallow, only 6.2 miles (10 km) below the seabed, and struck at 6:46 p.m. (0046 BST) 62 miles (99 km) northwest of the mining port of Iquique, near the Peruvian border.

"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 tsunami center said.

The warning said that aside from Chile, the coasts of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua were also at risk. A tsunami of up to 6.3 feet (1.92 meters) could strike the town of Pisagua, Chile, within 44 minutes of the quake, it said.