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Santiago: An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 earthquake huge hit south-central Chile in the early on Saturday, killing at least 78 people and destroyed buildings and causing the tsunami.

President Michelle Bachelet said there were 78 confirmed deaths and it was possible that more. Telephone lines and electricity have fallen, making it difficult to assess in the early damage, but serious damage was reported in two southern cities.

“Never in my life and I experienced such an earthquake, it’s like the end of the world,” one man told local television from the city of Temuco, where the quake destroyed buildings and forced the evacuation of staff from the provincial hospital.

U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck 56miles (90 kilometers) northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of22 miles (35 kilometers) at 3:34 am (0634 GMT).

The Chilean television and radio stations, said several buildings had collapsed in the city of Curico and that there was damage to buildings in the historic city center in the capital Santiago, about 200 miles (320 km) north of the epicenter.

Capital International Airport was forced to close, the highway bridge collapsed and fell into blocks of buildings in the street. The television footage showed cars crushed when part of the multi-storey parking garage collapsed.

And scattered pieces of glass and stones on the roads in Santiago, and several strong aftershocks shook the residents jittery in the first hours after the quake.

In the moments after the quake, and people flocked to the capital’s streets, hugging each other and crying.

There was a power outage in some areas of Santiago and contacts were still in the area near the epicenter.

Emergency officials said buildings in the historic quarters of two southern cities had been badly damaged.

Bachelet urged people to remain calm and stay at home to avoid accidents on the roads. “With an earthquake of this size is no doubt that we can not rule out more deaths and injuries is likely to,” she said.

Earthquake of magnitude 8 or more can cause “serious damage”, says the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake that devastated Haiti’scapital Port-au-Prince was measured on January 12 as magnitude7.0.

Bachelet said the tsunami and a huge wave swept the south of the island ofJuan Fernandez, and radio stations and said it caused extensive damage.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami may have been destructive along the coast near the epicenter of the earthquake, “and can also pose a threat to more distant shores.”

And issued a tsunami warning for countries in Latin America, and as far afield as the United States and Hawaii, as well as Japan, Russia and the Philippines, Indonesia and South Pacific.

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