7.4 magnitude quake hits drake passage, Tsunami alert issued for Southern Chile

KATHMANDU: A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Drake Passage—the stretch of ocean separating South America from Antarctica—on Friday, prompting tsunami warnings and emergency evacuations along Chile’s southern coast.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, approximately 219 kilometers from both Ushuaia, in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province, and Puerto Williams, Chile’s southernmost city.

Chile’s National Emergency Office (SENAPRED) swiftly issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas in the Magallanes region. “Please remain alert! Due to tsunami risk, evacuate coastal areas in Magallanes and move to higher ground,” the agency stated on its social media account.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric echoed the urgency, calling on residents to “evacuate all coastal areas of the Magallanes region” via his official X (formerly Twitter) account.

The National Seismological Center of Chile confirmed the earthquake registered just below 7.5 magnitude, followed by several aftershocks.

The tremor struck at 9:58 a.m. local time and was strongly felt in Ushuaia and nearby towns within Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego province.

Authorities in Argentina reported no immediate injuries or structural damage. “The quake was primarily felt in Ushuaia and surrounding towns, but there are currently no reports of casualties or material damage,” stated the governor’s office of Tierra del Fuego.

Chile, located at the convergence of the Nazca, South American, and Antarctic tectonic plates, is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone nations.

The country experienced the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in 1960, a magnitude 9.5 quake in the southern city of Valdivia, which claimed over 9,500 lives. In 2010, a magnitude 8.8 quake struck central Chile, killing more than 520 people.