Adds Japan tsunami warning

The huge 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck central Chile early today generated a tsunami that may have been destructive along the coast near the epicenter, a U.S. agency said.

"Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said on its website. "It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter and could also be a threat to more distant coasts."

It did not have details on the size of the tsunami.

The earthquake was initially reported as having a magnitude of 8.3 but that was later raised by the US agency.

JAPAN ALSO WARNS OF TSUNAMI

Japan's meteorological agency also warned of a tsunami risk across large areas of the Pacific as US geologists said the risk extended as far as the Antarctic after Chile's massive earthquake.

"There is a possibility that tsunami will widely occur in the Pacific Ocean," an official for the Japanese agency said. "We are now checking if tsunami may hit Japanese coastal areas."

The United States Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake had generated a tsunami and that parts of Central and South America could be at risk in subsequent hours along with more distant locations, including in Antarctica.

Asian nations have been on heightened alert ever since a massive 2004 tsunami that killed more than 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama ordered his government to be prepared to offer support for victims if necessary, Jiji Press reported.

"Swift action should be required," Hatoyama told reporters. "It appears to be fairly sizable. I told ministries concerned to be ready to take measures in case relief assistance is needed."

Earlier in the day, Japan's Okinawa island was hit by its biggest seismic jolt in more than half a century when a powerful earthquake struck, triggering minor tsunamis, but only small amounts of damage to housing and minor injuries.