Japan issues tsunami alert after Chile quake

The Japan Meteorological Agency on Sunday issued a major tsunami alert for its Pacific coast after a powerful earthquake struck Chile, Xinhua reported.

The Japan Meteorological Agency on Sunday issued a major tsunami alert for its Pacific coast after a powerful earthquake struck Chile, Xinhua reported.

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The tsunami alert is issued for the pacific coast of Aomori, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures in northeast Japan. Waves of up to three meters high are expected in the areas and "everyone near the coast must evacuate to higher ground", it said.

The tsunami is also expected to hit Hokkaido and Izu-Ogasawara islands around 1 pm followed by other areas, the agency said in a public broadcast.

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile Saturday, killing more than 200 people.