A major earthquake has rocked the Alaska Peninsula, with fears that a tsunami could soon follow.
People living close to the coast have been urged to move to higher ground as tsunami sirens were set off in the city of Kodiak.
The quake has a magnitude of 8.2 – the strongest of the year – and took place 20 miles under the sea, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System.
It struck 60 miles south-east from the the city of Chignik at 10.15pm local time, the service added.
Tsunami warning have also been issued for the U.S. Pacific territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Hawaii is under a less serious tsunami watch, while officials as far away as New Zealand are assessing the threat.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake’s magnitude was 7.2 and took place 22 miles below sea level.
Parts of Alaska, including the southern peninsula, are in the Ring of Fire, an area known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Nearly 75% of the world’s active volcanoes are inside the ring around the pacific ocean and some 90% of earthquakes take place there.
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