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Nov. 30 (UPI) -- An earthquake with a preliminary 7-magnitude shook Alaska on Friday, damaging roads and buildings, and disrupting air traffic in and out of the state's largest city, officials said. The quake was first felt at about 8:30 a.m. near Anchorage.
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Residents also felt several aftershocks through midday, some in the 5-magnitude range. The earthquake's center was about 10 miles north-northwest of Anchorage, the Alaska Earthquake Center reported, but shaking also was reported in the Fairbanks area. The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport closed Friday after some damage was observed, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was of 6.6-magnitude. The National Weather Service called it a 7-magnitude quake. The Alaska Earthquake Center in Fairbanks initially rated it a 6.6-magnitude earthquake but later upgraded it to 7.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System, whose alert covers the Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island and the southern coast of the Alaska Peninsula, listed the earthquake as 7.2 on the Richter scale. It added there was danger of a tsunami on the coast, and instructed people there to go to higher ground. The agency canceled the alert around 10 a.m.
The temblor cracked walls and caused ceilings to crumble in some buildings. At some stores, products crashed to the floor, creating a mess.
A section of an onramp where International Airport Road and Minnesota Boulevard near Eagle River collapsed. A section of Glenn Highway also cracked.
The damage caused power outages throughout the city and at least three buildings were set ablaze.
