Chile has issued a tsunami warning and said people should evacuate coastal areas in the south of country after a large earthquake.

The warning was issued for the remote Magallanes region on the country’s southern tip and parts of the Chilean Antarctic Territory.

It comes after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck 219km (136 miles) off the coast of the city of Ushuaia, in neighbouring Argentina, on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquake was also felt in Ushuaia, local media reports, and aftershocks have been reported in the region.

In a post on X, Chilean President Gabriel Boric said: “We call for evacuation of the coastline throughout the Magallanes region.” All state resources would be made available to deal with any impact, he added.

More than 1,700 people have been evacuated to higher ground in the sparsely-populated Magallanes region so far, including 1,000 from the town of Puerto Williams and 500 from Puerto Natales, according to Chile’s disaster agency (Senapred).

Some 32 people also followed evacuation procedures in Chile’s Antarctic research bases, Senapred added.

The agency advised residents to “act calmly and follow the instructions of authorities and response teams”.

Footage posted on social media, as yet unverified by the BBC, showed people calmly heading for higher ground in Puerto Williams, with sirens blaring in the background.

Local media is reporting that this is a precautionary measure, with residents being asked to evacuate to safe areas which are 30m above sea level.

The earthquake struck the Drake Passage between Cape Horn and Antarctica at a depth of 10km (6 miles), the US Geological Survey said.