Earthquake in southcentral Alaska
© Loren Holmes/ADNThe northbound onramp for International Airport Rd. at Minnesota Blvd. collapsed Friday morning, Nov. 30, 2018 after a strong earthquake shook southcentral Alaska.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Friday morning near Anchorage, Alaska, causing widespread damage, triggering rock slides and alarming office workers who plunged under their desks.

Residents are reporting damage in the nearby areas via social media. One man tweeted a photo of his toppled chimney and a local television station showed its studio filled with debris. Former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin tweeted, saying her family is intact but her "house is not."

"This is a large earthquake and there have been numerous aftershocks," said John Bellini, a geophysicist for the U.S. Geological Survey. He said the largest aftershock was a 5.7 magnitude quake about six minutes after the big one.

The quake struck at 8:29 a.m. local time about seven miles north of Anchorage, the USGS reported. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. Officials have since canceled a tsunami warning for coastal areas of southern Alaska.



"The bed started shaking and everything was shaking so dramatically," Blair Braverman told CNN. "People were running down the halls and banging on the doors to evacuate."

The earthquake also disrupted some communications and electrical service, the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said.

The Anchorage School District cancelled classes for its more than 100 schools and asked parents to pick up their kids when they could.


And state government offices in Anchorage were closed so officials could assess damage.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation.

Alaska averages 40,000 earthquakes per year, with more large quakes than the other 49 states combined.

Anchorage has been hit hard before. A 1964 earthquake that registered 9.2, the largest ever in the U.S. and the second largest ever recorded, caused extensive damage to the city.