Tsunami warning in N America after quake
LOS ANGELES, January 23, 2018
A tsunami alert has been issued in North America after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake was recorded off the coast of Alaska in the US.
The quake hit 280km (173 miles) south-east of Kodiak, at a depth of 25km, at 00:31 (09:31 GMT), a BBC report said quoting the US Geological Survey said.
The US National Weather Service says a warning is in effect for the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia, while the US west coast is on tsunami watch.
But the tsunami watch for the islands of Hawaii and Guam has been cancelled.
Officials in Anchorage warned coastal areas, saying there was "extraordinary threat to life or property".
The alert told people to seek refuge on higher ground in affected areas. Residents in several places around the Gulf of Alaska were told to leave. They included Homer, Seward, Kodiak, Sitka and Unalaska, a source at Alaska Public Radio told the BBC.
According to Kodiak police, officials had reported water receding from the harbour.
