The Ministry of Justice in Chile has launched an investigation into why the tsunami alert was not sounded in time after the earthquake of 27 February.

Shortly after the 8.8 magnitude tremor, the Chilean coast was hit by at least three tidal waves. Numerous villages were destroyed.

The failure of the tsunami warning system has led to a political row in Chile. The Navy immediately admitted it had made a "diagnostic error" as the information it passed on to then-president Michelle Bachelet was unclear, leading to her decision that a tsunami alert was unnecessary.

Almost 500 people were killed, many of them died in the tsunami. A number of people are still missing.