The powerful earthquake that rocked southern Chile early Saturday triggered a number of tsunami alerts and warnings across the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said Saturday that the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 78 people in Chile generated tsunamis carrying waves as high as 1.5 meters and traveling at 800 km per hour to the north and south.

"Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated. It may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter and could also be a threat to more distant coasts," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Tsunami warnings were issued over a wide area, including Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Antarctica, Australia, the U.S. state of Hawaii and dozens of other Pacific islands after the earthquake struck 320 km southwest of Santiago.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that a tsunami had been generated that could cause damage along the coastlines of all islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii.

It estimated the arrival time of the first tsunami wave at 11:19 a.m. Hawaii time (2100 GMT).

"Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property," the center said.

The center said authorities should take appropriate action in response to the threat.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK cited earthquake experts as saying that a tsunami could reach Japan in about 22 hours.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said it was still investigating the possibility of a tsunami reaching Japan after the Chilean quake.