Powerful 7.4 quake shakes Alaska Peninsula; no casualties

A tsunami warning was issued early Sunday as a 7.4 magnitude earthquake jolted the Alaska Peninsula, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS); however, there were reports of casualties from the authorities.

The USGS said that the quake was a relatively shallow one, striking at a depth of 9.3 km (5.78 miles).

Hours after the earthquake, the US Tsunami Warning System lifted the warning for the regions which it earlier issued. 

It said that little or no landslide was expected, but some landslides could have occurred in highly susceptible areas.

According to Alaska Earthquake Centre, the event was felt widely throughout the Aleutian Islands — an area far from the mainland — the Alaskan Peninsula and Cook Inlet regions.

The recent earthquake comes weeks after a mild earthquake of magnitude 4.6 struck an area northeast of Anchorage and was recorded about 12 miles south of the city and about two miles south of Eagle River, according to the USGS.

The quake, which was light to moderate, was felt by over 1,000 people. However, there were no reports of injuries or any damage, New York Post reported.

There weren't any warnings issued in connection with the quake and the Anchorage Fire Department did not report any emergency calls.

Just a day earlier, a 3.8 magnitude quake was reported on the West Coast.

Alaska is among the places which are seismically active in the United States. In November 2018, a 7-magnitude hit Anchorage and caused damage to the infrastructure.

In 1964, an earthquake of magnitude 9.2 was recorded as the most powerful in the US and second most powerful in the world. It killed over 100 people followed by a tsunami that wiped out several small towns along the coast.