A powerful earthquake struck the Drake Passage, the stretch of sea between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica, at 22:16 local time on Thursday. The U.S. Geological Survey initially measured the quake at magnitude 8.0 but later revised it to 7.5. The epicentre was roughly 260 kilometres north-west of Chile’s Base Frei in Antarctica at a depth of about 20 kilometres, according to preliminary data. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous tsunami waves could reach parts of the Chilean coast within three hours of the tremor. Chile’s navy-run oceanographic service, SHOA, issued a tsunami threat advisory, and the national disaster agency Senapred ordered residents to evacuate beaches in the Magallanes region. Japan’s Meteorological Agency reported no risk to its coastline, and the U.S. Tsunami Warning System said the event posed no threat to North America. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from the sparsely populated area closest to the epicentre, but the quake was felt in southern Chile and Argentina. Analysts noted the Drake Passage is a busy corridor for LNG and other shipping routes connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and any prolonged disruption could affect regional trade flows.