SRINAGAR: A magnitude 8.0 earthquake has struck off South America this afternoon, according to several media reports.
The earthquake was located in the Drake Passage, a body of water located between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, as reported by Otago Daily Times.
The quake was at a depth of 10km the USGS said.
The New Zealand Civil Defence said in a social media post it was assessing whether the quake posed a tsunami threat to New Zealand.
If a tsunami had been generated, it would take at least eight hours to arrive in New Zealand, the post said.
Meanwhile, authorities have sounded an alert in the region and are assessing the damage.
