Chile has been hit by a massive earthquake early today (Saturday), activating a tsunami alert and shaking buildings in the capital city, Santiago. Chilean President, Michelle Bachelet, has said that the 8.8 magnitude earthquake has killed at least 6 people and there are fears the numbers could increase.

The quake hit in the early hours when it was still dark making it hard to assess exactly how much damage has been caused yet, but power and telephone lines have been brought down. According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre of the earthquake was 56 miles northeast of Concepcion, which has a population of 670,000,striking at 3:34 am, at a depth of 22 miles.

The quake was felt in Santiago, which is over 200 miles from where the earthquake struck, with reports of damage to historic buildings there. There are reports that people gathered weeping in the streets and in some areas of the city there were blackouts. The quake in Chile has triggered a tsunami which the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says will be felt along coastal regions.

The quake which recently devastated Haiti was a magnitude of 7.0 and the USGS say that any quake over 8.0 can cause vast amounts of destruction. The biggest earthquake ever recorded was also in Chile back in 1960, which registered 9.5. For more details on this story go to Reuters.