A strong earthquake with an 8.3-magnitude has struck Chile but thankfully just scared the alpine athletes currently in the area in preparation for the new World Cup season.

The epicentre of the quake was located in the Pacific Ocean, about 250 km away from the areas where most of the athletes train. The first violent shock lasted over one minute and several aftershocks could be felt in the 20 minutes after the big quake. After first reports, at least five people were killed and a million are being evacuated due to Tsunami risk.

The US Ski Team released a statement saying „All U.S. Ski Team members training in South America are safe and accounted for after an 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Chile. Athletes from the World Cup, Europa Cup, National Training Group and D Team are currently in Portillo, La Parva and Valle Nevado. Many felt the tremors and some have been evacuated from their hotels, but all are fine and bracing for aftershocks. Conditions will be evaluated in the morning.“

Many of the athletes have since then taken to social media to let the public know there were okay.