The death toll from a powerful earthquake which struck Chile earlier on Saturday has risen to 47, the country's president, Michelle Bachelet, said.

The 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Latin American country in the early hours of Saturday. The tremor occurred some 89 kilometers (55.3 miles) to the north of Chile's second largest city Concepcion, some 341 kilometers (212 miles) from the capital of Santiago.

Earlier, six people were reported dead and several buildings destroyed in Santiago as a result of the quake.

Earlier reports set the quake magnitude at 8.3; however, the U.S. Geological Survey has recently upgraded it.

Several aftershocks, including one that measured 6.9 on the Richter scale, followed the initial quake.

The Santiago Airport was reportedly closed as the result of the earthquake. Many parts of Santiago and Concepcion are without power.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center put out a warning along the coastlines of Chile and Peru, and issued a tsunami watch for Colombia, Ecuador, Antarctica, Panama and Costa Rica. The Hawaiian Islands have been placed under a tsunami advisory, as has French Polynesia. Japan and Russia’s Far East have also been advised.

MOSCOW, February 27 (RIA Novosti)