A massive earthquake with a magnitude 8.8 has struck the South American country of Chile, rattling buildings and triggering a tsunami. Chilean television reported 16 deaths so far and death toll is expected to rise. Outgoing President Michelle Bachelet called on the people to remain calm and contact the authorities if they needed help. She said there were areas of the country where communications were down and teams were working to restore them. Many of Chile's news websites and radio stations were not accessible. Buildings in Santiago were reported to have shaken for 10 to 30 seconds, with the loss of electricity and communications.The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at a depth of about 35km and issued an initial tsunami warning for Chile, Peru and Ecuador. That was later extended to Colombia, Antarctica and Central America. Japan's meteorological agency warned of a potential tsunami across large areas of the Pacific.