Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.8 rocked buildings and shattered roads in the US state of Alaska, sending people running into the streets and briefly triggering a warning t
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November 30 2018 8:44 PM
Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.8 rocked buildings and shattered roads in the US state of Alaska, sending people running into the streets and briefly triggering a warning to residents in Kodiak to flee to higher ground for fear of a tsunami.
The tsunami warning was lifted without incident a short time later on Friday morning.
There were no immediate reports of any deaths or serious injuries.
The US Geological Survey said the first and more powerful quake was centred about seven miles north of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, with a population of about 300,000.
People ran from their offices or took cover under desks.
Cracks could be seen in a two-story Anchorage building, and photographs posted to social media showed fractured roads, as well as fallen ceiling tiles at an Anchorage high school.
A large section of an overpass near the Anchorage airport collapsed, marooning a car on a narrow island of pavement next to where the road gave way.
The quake also disrupted electrical service and knocked out traffic lights in Anchorage, snarling traffic.
Cereal boxes and packages of batteries littered the floor of a grocery store, and picture frames and mirrors were knocked from living room walls.
People went back inside after the first earthquake struck, but the 5.8 aftershock about five minutes later sent them running back into the streets.
A tsunami warning was issued for the southern Alaska coastal areas of Cook’s Inlet and part of the Kenai peninsula.
Kodiak police on Kodiak Island warned people in the city of 6,100 to « evacuate to higher ground immediately » because of « wave estimated 10 minutes ».
Michael Burgy, a senior technician with the National Tsunami Warning Centre in Palmer, Alaska, said the tsunami warning was automatically generated based on the quake’s size and proximity to shore.
