SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Officials removed a tsunami warning after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 225 km (140 miles) southwest of Puerto Montt in southern Chile on Sunday, prompting an evacuation order for southern coastal areas. Chile’s naval oceanographic service declared a preventative tsunami alert for areas within 621 miles (1,000km) of the epicentre, and officials began evacuating coastal areas in the southern part of the country. Chile's National Emergency Services (Onemi) chief Ricardo Toro said a tsunami watch remained in place, and reiterated his call for Los Lagos residents to abandon beaches and go to higher ground. The US Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.7 and said it struck at 11:22 am local time (14:22 GMT) near the southern tip of Chiloe Island, about 40 kilometers southwest of Puerto Quello and at a depth of 33 kilometers.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Chile spurs tsunami warnings.