A huge 7.5-magnitude struck Argentina on Friday (May 2). The tremor hit in the Drake Passage, 136 miles south of Ushuaia, in southern Argentina, just before 1pm UTC, 9am local time. The earthquake was at a depth of 6.21 miles.

The earthquake was followed just minutes later by a tsunami alert, with people being urged to move away from the coast and reach higher ground. The alert for "hazardous waves", an message by the US Tsunami Warning System reads, is in place for coasts located within 186 miles of the earthquake epicentre - including southern and Chile.

A Red Alert has been issued for the the Magallanes Region and Chilean Antarctica due to Tsunami in response to the earthquake felt. The evacuation processes for these coastal territories has been activated and is suported through messaging from the Emergency Alert System (SAE), according to .

As for estimated times of arrival, it may differ and the initial wave may not be the largest. The alert says that the ETA for Puerto Williams in is 18:55 UTC on Friday.

Videos appearing on social media show the tsunami warning sirens have been activated in Puerto Williams, with residents fleeing to safety. Residents in Patagonia have also shared videos of the tsunami evacuation alert that has arrived on their phones.

The entire southern coastal region of Chile is to be evacuated in response, the Chilean National Disaster Prevention and Response Service has announced. 1,000 evacuees are expected for Puerto Williams, 500 in Puerto Natales and around 150 for Future and Green River. The National Disaster Prevention and Response System continues to assess the impact on people and damage to infrastructure and basic services.

The USGS alert recommends that government agencies responsible for threatened coastal areas should take action to inform and instruct any coastal populations at risk, in accordance with their own evaluation, procedures and the level of threat. Persons located in threatened coastal areas should stay alert for information and follow instructions from national and local authorities, it adds.

The next message will be issued in an hour, the US Tsunami Warning System has said, or sooner if the situation warrants.