A tsunami warning was triggered after a powerful 7.8 earthquake struck the Alaska Peninsula.
The quake, which was at a depth of six miles, was centred 60 miles south-south-east of Perryville, Alaska.
Videos on social media have captured the scale of the earthquake, as residents were urged to get to 'higher ground' and to move away from beaches over fears of a tsunami.
A tsunami warning was issued for South Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the warning for South Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula was from Kennedy Entrance to Unimak. Along the Aleutian Islands it was from Unimak Pass to Samalga Pass.
Latest update from the Tsunami Warning Center confirms there is NO tsunami threat to the California Coast. https://t.co/6WHvVvGJLX
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) July 22, 2020
The centre said later that warning had been cancelled.
On Kodiak Island, the local high school opened its doors for evacuees, as did the local Catholic school, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
“We’ve got a high school full of people,” said Larry LeDoux, superintendent of the Kodiak School District. “I’ve been passing out masks since the first siren sounded.”
“Everything’s as calm as can be. We’ve got probably 300, 400 people all wearing masks.”
The centre said there is no tsunami threat for other US and Canadian coastlines.
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