The massive quake plunged much of the Chilean capital, Santiago, into darkness as it snapped power lines and severed communications as walls and masonry collapsed.
People in pyjamas fled onto the streets.
Residents in the south of the city, which appeared to have borne the brunt of the temblor, said roads had crumpled and a bridge had been damaged, as an AFP correspondent said buildings "shook like jelly".
The Philippines' government warned coastal communities on the eastern side of the archipelago Saturday to prepare for possible evacuation.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Survivors talk on a street in front of a building destroyed in a major earthquake in Talca March 2, 2010. Chilean troops patrolled in the wake of Saturday morning's 8.8-magnitude quake that killed more than 700 people, while the government acknowledged that it has battled to provide aid swiftly because of crumpled highways and major power disruptions caused by the quake. REUTERS/Mariana Bazo (CHILE - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT)
