Earthquake in Chile..

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Chile on Saturday morning, setting off a tsunami warning across much of the Pacific. The Lede is tracking reports of the damage. Readers are encouraged to share first-hand accounts of the earthquake or preparations for the potential tsunami with us, or point to any eyewitness video, photographs or text accounts they see on the Web, by writing in the comments thread below.

The authorities issued a tsunami alert for the Philippine east coast and advised residents near the coastal areas to evacuate, estimating that waves caused by the earthquake in Chile would reach the country early Sunday afternoon.

In a public advisory released Sunday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology urged the public to be on alert for unusual waves of as high as one meter that may continue for hours. Renato Solidum, the director of the institute, called the precaution a “limited evacuation,” according to Reuters.