Massive 8.2 Earthquake off Chile Coast Sparks Tsunami
Massive 8.2 Earthquake off Chile Coast Sparks Tsunami Reuters

The massive Chilean earthquake where at least five people died while three were injured has raised tsunami alerts in Latin America's Pacific Coast. The hashtag #PrayforChile trends in Twitter.

The 8.2 magnitude quake hit Chile on April 1, causing several deaths and injuries and sent huge waves that struck coastal towns of the South American nation. The small tsunami-like waves brought officials to evacuate those near the northern Chilean coast. Many people from the coast have evacuated to higher grounds for safety.

Prompt evacuations also reached across the Pacific Coast of Latin America as officials expressed their fears of a possible tsunami putting different countries across the Pacific coastline on alert. Tsunami alerts have been issued as far as Hawaii. Although some areas already lifted the tsunami alert, Chile and Peru remained on the list.

Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo in a report from the online news site Toronto Star said Chile Pres. Michelle Bachelet was looking at the situation closely and was ready to take precautions to ensure the safety of the people.

Meanwhile, some inmates from a women prison from the badly hit Chilean area, Iquique, have escaped after the establishment was damaged. Police officials were deployed in the areas, according to Penailillo.

The Chile earthquake also shook Peru and Bolivia, especially its capital La Paz. It had caused destruction of some major and modern facilities in these countries.

Several aftershocks were experienced in the different parts of the country.

The earthquake in Chile gained a lot of sympathy from different people worldwide. Many have expressed their concerns and prayers to the severely hit nation in social media. The hashtag #PrayforChile becomes a trend in the social media platform, Twitter. Other hashtags made by concerned netizens are #StayStrongChile, #PrayforPeru and #PrayForEcuador.

An earthquake 8,3 liberates 3x times more energy than the Nagasaki's atomic bomb. #PrayForChile pic.twitter.com/iqizdid65o

— Planet Earth (@planetepics) April 2, 2014

Chile is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. The South American country has been hit by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake resulting to a tsunami in 2010. This tragic incident claimed the lives of more than 500 people and damaged facilities and several establishments in the country.