President Gabriel Boric urges immediate evacuation of Chile’s Magallanes coastline after a powerful quake near Cape Horn triggers tsunami fears; waves expected to hit Antarctic bases.
May 3, 2025: A massive 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck near the southern tip of Chile on Friday, prompting immediate tsunami warnings and evacuations along the country’s far-southern Magallanes coastline.
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The tremor hit between Cape Horn and Antarctica at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles) at 9:58 AM local time, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). It was followed by a series of aftershocks, intensifying fears of a tsunami in the region.
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Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED) issued an urgent tsunami advisory for the coastal areas of Magallanes, urging residents to move to higher ground — specifically areas at least 30 meters above sea level.
President Gabriel Boric took to social media to call for immediate evacuation. “We call for evacuation of the coastline throughout the Magallanes region,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter), echoing SENAPRED’s alert. He also confirmed precautionary evacuations were underway in parts of nearby Antarctica.
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Calm but Swift Evacuations
Videos circulating online showed residents of Punta Arenas and nearby towns calmly evacuating to safer areas as tsunami sirens blared. Chile’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA) predicted that waves generated by the quake could reach Antarctic bases and cities in Chile’s extreme south within hours.
In neighboring Argentina, the southern city of Ushuaia reported feeling the tremors but no damage or evacuations. Local authorities stated the impact was minimal but urged calm in the face of uncertainty.
A Region on Edge
The Magallanes region, Chile’s second-largest but sparsely populated, sits in a seismically active zone where three tectonic plates — the Nazca, South American, and Antarctic — meet. Earthquakes are a frequent occurrence in the country.
Chile has experienced several devastating quakes in the past, including the world’s most powerful earthquake in 1960 (magnitude 9.5 in Valdivia), which killed 9,500 people, and an 8.8-magnitude quake in 2010 that triggered a deadly tsunami, leaving more than 520 dead.
Emergency services remain on high alert as authorities monitor sea level changes and seismic activity through the night.
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