A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake has rocked Chile, killing at least 147 people, bringing down homes and other buildings and causing tsumani warnings, watches and alerts in many parts of the Pacific Ocean.
 
Rescue workers rushed to the scene after the earthquake struck early February 27 2010 several hundred km southwest of the capital Santiago, about 100km from Concepcion, Chile's second largest metropolitan area, the Voice of America said.
 
A rescue official said the number of dead was rising. Bodies were recovered in several regions. Power was cut off in many parts of the capital, and elsewhere as well.
 
A Brazilian woman visiting Chile said it was the worst moment of her life. Another Brazilian tourist said he had to break down a hotel window to get to safety.
 
With fears of tidal waves, and several aftershocks already haven taken place, Chile's president Michelle Bachelet said people living in low-lying areas, as well as on islands off the mainland, were being evacuated to higher ground.
 
Experts said the earthquake released much more energy than the devastating seven-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 2010, but that Chile seemed better prepared to deal with the natural disaster.
 
Chile often experiences earthquakes, and damage and deaths are often limited as these usually center in sparsely populated areas.
 
The high magnitude earthquake prompted the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii to issue a tsunami warning for areas across the region, with authorities in countries such as Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and many Pacific islands on high alert.
 
The international community is offering support to Chile in the wake of Saturday's devastating earthquake, the Voice of America said.
 
The European Union pledged $4 million in immediate aid to the South American nation. 
 
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso described the money as a "first step" to "relieve suffering and to meet the immediate needs."
 
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed his condolences for the loss of life in the earthquake.
 
He said that he was seeking an assessment on the situation from the UN's Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean which is based in Chile's capital, Santiago.
 
In the US, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said the Obama administration also stands ready to help. He said that officials were closely monitoring the situation, including the potential for a tsunami.
 
The US state department has provided a phone number for Americans seeking information about family and loved ones in Chile. That number is 1-888-404-4747.
 
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton had been scheduled to travel to Chile as part of a South American visit next week.
 
A US state department spokesperson, Megan Mattson, said on February 27 that no decision on changing the secretary's trip has been made.
 
US president Barack Obama pledged that the US was ready to provide assistance to earthquake-hit Chile, where he said early indications were that "hundreds of lives have been lost," AFP reported.
 
The US "stands ready to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts, and we have resources that are positioned to deploy should the Chilean government ask for our help," Obama said in a televised address outside the White House.
 
Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, said that she was "following closely" the situation after the large earthquake off the Chilean coast.
 
"All relevant European actors are now working closely together to monitor and assess the situation and I will continue to co-ordinate these activities.
 
"This is the second time in a short period of time that the Americas are hit by a massive earthquake," Ashton said.
 
"We do not know yet the full impact of this disaster. I want to express my condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones.
 
"The European Union stands ready to provide help for the people of Chile. I will be in close contact with president Bachelet and president-elect Piñera," Ashton said.
 
Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Co-operation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, said: "I want to first offer my condolences to the families of those who have been effected by this natural disaster.
 
"I have immediately activated the Crisis Room at the Commission's Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) which is working with the European Union's delegation in Santiago.
 
"I have mobilised ECHO humanitarian experts to undertake urgent needs assessments if required. ECHO has a regional office in Managua as well as offices in Bogota and Quito. The Monitoring and Information Centre is further assessing the situation and the Commission stands ready to provide immediate assistance and coordinate European efforts should that be required," Georgieva said.
 
In Sofia, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that so far, no Bulgarians had been reported injured in the massive magnitude-8.8 quake that hit Chile.
 
According to the ministry, there were between 120 and 150 Bulgarians resident in Chile.
 
The Bulgarian embassy in Chile was trying to establish contact with a Bulgarian woman living near the quake's epicentre, but has not done this yet, since communications in the country were down.
 
Specialist teams from British charities were being sent to Chile, the BBC said.
 
Prime minister Gordon Brown said Britain would do whatever it could to help after the quake in the centre of Chile.
 
Aid organisations including Oxfam and Save the Children had made an urgent appeal for donations, the BBC said.