Tsunami warning issued over 20 Philippine provinces following magnitude 7.9 Chile earthquake

(The Chile earthquake's intensity is reported to be magnitude 8.3 by other networks.)

Police patrol a debris strewn street in Valparaiso, Chile, after a tsunami, caused by an earthquake hit the area, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. (AP)

MANILA -- The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) instructed on Thursday at least 20 provinces in the country to monitor the change in sea levels of their respective coasts following the magnitude 7.9 earthquake that jolted Chile.

In its "Tsunami Information No. 1" released Thursday morning, Phivolcs issued the advisory to these provinces:

* Batanes Group of Islands
* Sorsogon
* Cagayan
* Northern Samar
* Ilocos Norte
* Eastern Samar
* Isabela
* Leyte
* Quezon
* Southern Leyte
* Aurora
* Surigao del Norte
* Camarines Norte
* Surigao del Sur
* Camarines Sur
* Davao Oriental
* Albay
* Davao del Sur
* Catanduanes
* Davao Occidental

Phivolcs said coastal communities in these areas fronting the Pacific Ocean are "advised to wait and listen for updates."

But there is no evacuation order implemented in these areas, said Phivolcs.

The agency issued the advisory as it warned that the Chile earthquake has the "potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours."

The earthquake struck the South American nation at 6:55 a.m. Thursday (Philippine) time and had a depth of 33 kilometers.

Authorities had issued a tsunami alert for Chile's entire Pacific coast, and the tremor was so strong that people on the other side of the continent, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, reported feeling it.

Officials reported three deaths. There were no reports of serious damage hours after the quake, but officials were still checking the region. (PNS/AP/Sunnex)