Tsunami alert lifted; 7.4 magnitude quake rattles Alaska

Anchorage (Alaska), Jun 24: A major earthquake near the northern Pacific Ocean of 7.4 magnitude has triggered off a tsunami alert. A tsunami warning in Alaska was canceled later. There was a warning for Alaska's Aleutian Islands according to a statement by US Geological Survey (USGS).

With the epicenter of the quake near the Fox Islands area, about 1000 miles southwest of Anchorage, the warning was soon lifted. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. After the first quake of 7.4 magnitude that hit the Pacific Ocean generated tsunami fears, another quake in the vicinity as deadly as the earlier one with a magnitude of 7.2 led to officials expressing fears. The second quake occurred half a minute after the first one.

A statement was also issued by the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Centre (WCATWC) stating no danger of a tsunami in the US west coast states of Alaska and British Columbia. The centre has been earlier quoted as saying, “Earthquakes of this size magnitude are known to generate tsunamis."

The WCATWC had earlier issued a warning ordering people to move to higher ground especially those living near the coasts. The warning covered an area from 80 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor to about 125 miles west of Adak.

People were asked to keep away from harbours and inlets as well. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) also added that there is no tsunami threat for Australia.

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