UPDATE 8am: A tsunami alert issued for the Australian east coast poses no threat to Cairns despite forecast king tides, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Greg Connor from the Townsville Bureau of Meteorology said the risk of the tsunami causing damage to coastal areas in Far North Queensland was "very unlikely".

Click here for threat updates from the Bureau of Meteorology. 

"The tsunami is not expected to contribute any further effects beyond the forecast king tide," Connor said. 

The Bureau of Meteorology has advised a marine warning for Queensland from Point Danger to Port Clinton, Moreton Bay and Hervey Bay. This extends from approximately Rockhampton to south east Queensland.

Photo gallery: Cairns king tide.

The tsunami alert follows a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake which hit off the coast of Chile in the middle of the night toppling buildings, cutting power and killing at least 150 people.

Highways were sliced into pieces, rubble piled across streets and buildings were reduced to little more than heaps of wood after the quake struck about 325km northeast of the capital Santiago.

Much of Santiago was plunged into darkness, with power lines snapped and communications severed. The international airport was closed after being damaged.

"The tragedy is enormous. The earthquake is one of the most important in the world's history, with an enormous capacity of destruction," the Chilean ambassador to the US, Jose Goni, told CNN television.

Full Chilean tsunami coverage at news.com.au. 

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