Washington, Rabi'I 26, 1438, Dec 25, 2016, SPA -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck southern Chile early Sunday, with an alert issued for possible dangerous waves on the Pacific Coast of South America. According to dpa , waves of 1 to 3 metres were possible in Chile, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said. The quake struck at 10:20 am (1422 GMT) with an epicentre 40 kilometres south-west of Puerto Quellon, Chile, according to the US Geological Survey. "Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1000 kilometres of the earthquake epicenter." The epicentre was more than 1,100 kilometres south-south-west of Santiago. --SPA 19:08 LOCAL TIME 16:08 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w298398