A tsunami in Japan is foreboding after an 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck Chile's Pacific coast Thursday morning, Japan's Meteorological Agency said today, Straits Times reported April 2.

According to the Agency, the first wave of tsunami in Japan is expected to arrive at the Pacific coasts of Hokkaido, the northernmost part of the country.

The US Geological Survey said that the earthquake off Chile was rather shallow at 20.1km below the seabed but it struck about 100km north-west of the mining [ort of Iquique near the Peruvian border.

BBC reported that the waves in Chile were up to 2.1m and that there were recorded power cuts, fires and landslides because of it.

At least 5 people were reportedly killed by the Chile quake, which is expected to have a repercussion any time soon - a tsunami in Japan.

The 8.2 magnitude earthquake in Chile led tens of thousands of people to evacuate affected areas, where a state of emergency has been declared.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that nearly 3000 prisoners in the City of Iquique have escaped from a women's prison house, but authorities claim that they are sending a plane load of special forces to guard against possible looting.

Iquique Governor Gonzalo Prieto told local media in Chile that apart from the five people who were reportedly dead, several others are seriously injured.

As of late, it is not Japan alone that is expected to suffer from a possible tsunami, Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre also issued an alert for residents along more than 4,800km of coastline in South and Central America.

It can be noted that in 1960, a 9.5 magnitude quake struck an area of Chile south of Concepcion. The devastating incident led to a tsunami in Japan and Hawaii that killed 1,655 people.