A tsunami hits Chile following a powerful magnitude 8.2 earthquake

(Image credit: USGS)

A six-foot tsunami hit Pisagua, Chile, on Tuesday night, following an estimated magnitude 8.2 earthquake off the coast; the epicenter was some 60 miles west-northwest of the port city of Iquique.

There is a tsunami warning in effect for all of coastal Chile, Peru, and Ecuador, and a tsunami watch for Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica. In Chile, evacuation orders have been given to residents of the low-lying cities of Iquique, Antofagasta, and Arica, and the government is suggesting all coastal residents seek higher ground.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.