Chilean earthquake forces one million to evacuate homes

(Vatican Radio)  Eight people have died and more than a million have been evacuated from their homes, following a 8.3-magnitude earthquake off Chile's northern coast, on Wednesday night.

Listen to James Blears' report:

The earthquake lasted three long minutes with intensity increasing. Buildings in the capitol, Santiago, swayed, but major structural damage has been averted.

A tsunami warning for the country's Pacific coast has now been lifted. But the intense power of the earthquake was felt across the Region in Argentina, Peru, and Brazil.

In an address to the nation, Chile's President Michelle Bachelet urged those evacuated from low lying coastal areas to stay put on high ground, until the overall situation can be properly and thoroughly assessed throughout the day.

There have been major electricty cuts to thousands of homes, and there have been powerful aftershocks.

Chile, part of which lies along a faultline, is no stranger to the consequences of earthquakes. In 2010 an even more powerful and devastating one killed hundreds of people in the southern city of Concepción.