Tsunami alerts have been issued for the entire west coast of North America after a huge 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck around 160 miles off the cost of Alaska.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 10km at 12.21am local time on Tuesday morning.
The US National Weather Service said a tsunami warning was in effect for the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia, Canada.
Citizens were advised to immediately get away from coastal areas and up to higher ground at least 100ft above sea level, with any wave expected within the first couple of hours of the quake.
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The west coast of the US is on tsunami watch. According to the US National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC), any potential wave would strike the coasts of Washington state, Oregon and California within the first six hours of the earthquake.
The NTWC has warned tsunami waves could “impact Hawaii” with the estimated earliest arrival set at 4.23am local time.
The National Weather Service said that a buoy just north-west of the epicentre recorded a displacement of 10 metres.
The Anchorage Office of Emergency Management said in a warning for people in Alaska and British Columbia, Canada: "If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground. Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring."
Tue Jan 23 10:07:47 UTC 2018 event picture pic.twitter.com/qeKKqFTysB
— NWS Tsunami Alerts (@NWS_NTWC) January 23, 2018
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that the quake posed no tsunami threat to Japan.
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