8.2-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Northern Chile, at least 5 Dead

A powerful magnitude-8.2 earthquake struck off Chile's northern coast late Tuesday, triggering landslides and a tsunami and killing at least five.

Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo, as cited by the CNN, informed that the death toll included four men and one woman, two of whom had died due to cardiac arrest and three had been crushed to death.

Iquique Governor Gonzalo Prieto said that in addition to those killed, several people had been seriously injured.

The quake struck about 8:46 p.m. local time, some 86 km northwest of mining port of Iquique. It had a depth of around 20km, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake generated a large tsunami with the biggest wave reported at about 2 meters.

The earthquake caused power cuts, fires and landslides.

The authorities declared a state of emergency in the affected areas and helped evacuate tens of thousands of people from the localities.