Chile lifted a tsunami alert it had issued for its southern coast following a powerful offshore quake Sunday, the head of the country's national emergencies office said.

The warning was downgraded to a "state of precaution" for several areas, ONEMI chief Ricardo Toro told reporters, but the public was still urged to avoid beaches.

The quake registered 7.7 on the Moment Magnitude scale according to seismologists at the US Geological Survey. ONEMI put it at 7.6.