A huge 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Argentina on Friday (May 2). The tremor hit in the Drake Passage, 222 kilometres south of Ushuaia, in southern Argentina, shortly before 1pm UTC.

The earthquake was followed just minutes later by a tsunami alert, with people being urged to move away from the coast and reach a higher place. The alert for "hazardous waves", an message by the US Tsunami Warning System reads, is in place for coasts located within 300 kilometres of the earthquake epicentre - including southern Argentina and Chile. 

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 Chile is 18:55 UTC on Friday.

The 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.

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