AP, February 27

TOKYO -- Wide swaths of the south Pacific, Asia and Australia braced for a tsunami after a devastating earthquake hit the coast of Chile on Saturday.

Officials in Japan and Australia warned a tsunami from the earthquake was likely to hit Asian shorelines within 24 hours. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami caution for areas across the region.

"Sea-level readings confirm that a tsunami has been generated which could cause widespread damage," the center said in a bulletin after the magnitude-8.8 quake. "Authorities should take appropriate action to respond to this threat."

The center noted that the first waves after a quake are not necessarily the largest and said tsunami wave heights are difficult to predict because they can vary significantly along a coast due to the local topography.

Chile earthquake: Easter Island evacuation as tsunami brings disaster to Pacific islands

A devastating earthquake in Chile has triggered a tsunami which is radiating across the Pacific and has already caused serious damage on the islands said to have inspired Robinson Crusoe.

The Telegraph, By Fiona Govan & David Barrett, February 27

The quake, registered at magnitude 8.8 on the Richter scale, caused buildings and bridges to collapse and led to power-black outs in parts of the Chilean capital, Santiago, 200 miles from the epicentre.

Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean President, said an evacuation of coastal areas on Easter Island, the Chilean territory famous for its monumental statues, was underway as the tsunami was expected to make landfall there imminently. She also confirmed 78 people had been killed on the Chilean mainland.

British experts said a tsunami was now radiating from the epicentre towards Hawaii and other settlements on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The extent of the tsunami's ferocity is not yet known, but it has already reached the southern Juan Fernandez Islands, about 400 miles off the coast of Chile, where it was reported to have caused "serious damage".

AP, By Jaymes Song, February 27

Hawaii under tsunami warning; Calif. coast, Alaskan islands under advisory

Ewa Beach, HI - Hawaii is under a tsunami warning following a massive earthquake that struck central Chile.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also said a tsunami advisory was in effect for the coast of California and an Alaskan coastal island area from Kodiak to Attu.

The center says a tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along coastlines of all islands in the Hawaii. It said a tsunami in California and Alaska was possible.

The Ewa (EH-vah) Beach, Hawaii-based tsunami center says the first waves are expected to arrive at 11:19 a.m. Saturday (4:19 p.m. EST).

FOX Live Stream from Chile...

UPDATE: Fox has returned to local inanities, try this...

1000 times greater than the Haiti quake? Uh-oh!

I hope the death toll is not nearly what it was in Haiti. Pretty scary stuff, this is.

A woman journalist was interviewed on CNN this AM. She said she was in bed, and when she looked out the window, the sky was turning different colors. This was at 2 or 3 AM. She said she was scared to death and thought it was the end of the world. I am wondering if this effect was due to some sort of electromagnetic thing... Never heard this description before.

VOA News - Two strong earthquakes shook Chile Thursday as Sebastián Piñera prepared to take office as the country's new president.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured a 7.2 magnitude quake in Chile's Libertador O'Higgins region, about 124 kilometers from the capital Santiago. It followed a magnitude 5.1 quake centered in the Arucania, Chile region, about 555 kilometers south of the capital.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the new quakes. A major 8.8-magnitude earthquake in February killed hundreds of people.

The new quakes came as dignitaries gathered in the capital to witness Mr. Piñera succeed Chile's first female president, socialist Michelle Bachelet, who is barred from a second consecutive term.