7.2 quake felt off Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said a major earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 has been recorded in the Pacific Ocean off Alaska’s remote Aleutian Islands.

The center said the Thursday evening quake was felt throughout the central Aleutians and as far east as Dutch Harbor and Unalaska. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center posted a tsunami warning for certain coastal areas of Alaska, but canceled the warning about an hour after the quake. The warning covered an area from 80 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor to about 125 miles west of Adak.

In Dutch Harbor, longshoreman Jim Paulin said warning sirens caused hundreds of people to begin climbing up a nearby hill.