Santiago, Chile (CNN) — A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake rocked Chile early Saturday, killing at least 147 people and triggering tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific basin.

CNN – Warning sirens were sounded in Hawaii at 6 a.m. (11 a.m. ET), although any possible tsunami would not strike for several hours. Tsunamis can travel at 400 to 500 mph — the speed of a jet plane, said Georgia Tech geology professor Kurt Frankel. 

A large wave killed three people and 10 were missing on the island of Juan Fernandez, 400 miles (643 km) off the coast of Chile, said Provincial Governor Ivan De La Maza.

On mainland Chile, the task of trying to save survivors and recover the dead was fully under way. Buildings lay in rubble, bridges and highway overpasses were toppled and roads buckled like rumpled paper. Mangled cars were strewn on several highways, many of the vehicles coming to rest on their roofs.

“This is a major event. This happened near some very populated areas,” said Randy Baldwin, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. “With an 8.8 you expect damage to the population in the area.”  Read more