Government spokesman Andres Chadwick said the Office of National Emergencies had issued the evacuation order as a precaution due to "observation of a certain intake of the sea."

Chadwick said the decision was taken preventively to protect the population even though the visual sighting of the sea conditions had not been confirmed by technical experts from the navy's Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service.

Sunday's 7.1 magnitude quake shook Chile's central Maule region, which was devastated in February 2010 by a massive 8.8 earthquake followed by tsunamis.

More than 500 people were killed in the 2010 disaster, most of them by tsunamis that slammed into villages and towns.

Chilean authorities were sharply criticized after that event for failing to issue a tsunami warning in time to evacuate coastal towns and villages.

After the quake in Chile Sunday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said "a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected."