7.0-magnitude quake damages roads in Alaska

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck near Anchorage, Alaska, damaged roads, buildings and also triggered a temporary tsunami warning, authorities said.

The booming quake hit at about 8.30 a.m. on Friday, some 10 miles northeast of Anchorage, at a depth of 21 miles, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS reported dozens of aftershocks even after the tsunami warning was cancelled, reports CNN.

The largest, registering 5.7, was located in Anchorage. Seismologists predicted many more in the coming days and weeks.

"It was very loud when it came," Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz said.

"It was very clear that this was something bigger than what we normally experience. We live in earthquake country so folks... But this was a big one."

Social media and television news video depicted scenes of chaos, including students taking shelter under desks, roads buckling under passing cars, grocery store products tumbling from shelves, hospital workers scrambling for cover and panicked attorneys under tables as a courtroom rocked from side to side.

Despite the chaos, Anchorage authorities said on Friday night that no fatalities or serious injuries were reported.

The White House said von Friday night that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the disaster and he has approved a federal disaster declaration for Alaska that authorises the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.

--IANS

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