Warning sirens have sounded on the Hawaiian Islands to alert residents to evacuate coastal areas ahead of a possible tsunami after a powerful earthquake hit Chile, claiming 122 lives, Fox News TV channel reported Saturday.
The sirens sounded on all Hawaii's islands at 6 a.m. local time (4 p.m. GMT), alerting people in coastal areas of the need to move to higher ground.
The evacuation of residents has already begun and authorities have closed all beaches. Buses are cruising the streets and picking people up free of charge to deliver them to safer zones. The first of many tsunami waves is expected to hit Hawaii shortly after 11:00 a.m. local time [21:00 GMT].
The tsunami wave (or waves) is expected to have a height of approximately 16 feet, each expected to last from five to fifteen minutes.
Japan is also expected to be hit by tsunami around 1 p.m. local time (2 a.m. GMT) on Sunday, Japanese meteorologists said, adding that the waves are expected to be around a meter high.
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile in the early hours of Saturday. The tremor occurred some 89 kilometers (55.3 miles) to the north of Chile's second largest city Concepcion, some 341 kilometers (212 miles) from the capital of Santiago. The death toll is estimated at over 120.
Indonesia and the Philippines have also been placed under a tsunami advisory, with the Philippine meteorological agency saying the tsunami may strike the eastern part of the archipelago within a few hours after the tsunami passes Hawaii.
Some 50 nations have been placed under a tsunami advisory. Areas of concern are the Hawaiian Islands, French Polynesia, Australia, and Japan. Russia's Far Eastern region was also advised, but local emergency authorities have stated that the region is in no danger. Peru has called off a tsunami warning.
WASHINGTON, February 27 (RIA Novosti)
