One dead, at least 12 injured in earthquake in central Chile

One person was confirmed dead and at least 12 more were injured in the 8.4-magnitude earthquake that jolted central Chile on Wednesday, according to local officials.

Dennis Cortez, mayor of the town of Illapel, 70.8 km southeast of the epicenter, reported on Twitter that a 25-year-old woman was confirmed dead after a wall collapsed inside a restaurant and that at least 12 more were injured in the town.

Buildings shook, windows broke and people poured onto the streets in the country's major cities, including Valparaiso and Santiago, 246 km away from the epicenter. The tremor was even felt as far as the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. The town of Illapel was also jolted by three aftershocks, all above 6.0 magnitude.

Chile is scrambling to deal with the aftermath of the strong earthquake that jolted the South American country at 7:55 p.m. local time (22:55 GMT).

A tsunami alert has been issued by the Chilean Ministry of the Interior (ONEMI) for the country's entire coastline, extending to the entire west coast of South America, Hawaii, and New Zealand.

Early reports by Chilean TV station, 24 Horas, reported that waves hit the towns of Pichidangui, Valparaiso and Coquimbo. Furthermore, waves of up to 2.5 meters high heading toward shore, according to Chile's reporting systems in the Pacific Ocean.

The U.S. Geological Service reported the earthquake as being 8.3-magnitude, but the University of Chile's Geology Center raised it later to 8.4-magnitude.

The government activated emergency response measures, with spokesman Marcelo Diaz calling on all Chileans "to stay calm...and to take safety measures."

The ONEMI has assembled its emergency operations committee, and Minister of the Interior Jorge Burgos has gone to the affected areas.

The airport of Santiago has been evacuated and the country's airline LAN rerouted all planes.

More than 3,200 people have been evacuated in the province of Araucania and preventive evacuations are also underway on Easter Island and Juan Fernandez Islands.

In 2010, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake in central Chile killed more than 500 people and destroyed 220,000 houses.