A tsunami warning has been issued following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of northern California.
At least 5.3 million people in the state were under the warning after the US National Tsunami Center raised the alert just before 11am local time on Thursday.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was reported 100km (62 miles) south west of Ferndale at a depth of 10km.
The quake was felt widely across Northern Carolina and as far south as San Francisco where residents felt a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by smaller aftershocks.
In the Santa Cruz area, phones buzzed with a tsunami warning from the National Weather Service that said: “A series of powerful waves and strong currents may impact coasts near you. You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now. Keep away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.”
More than 1.3 million people lived close enough to the quake that they could have felt it, the USGS estimated.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, has stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland.
Several quakes have struck off the coast of northern California
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Content Source: news.sky.com