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Quake jolts Seattle
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A POWERFUL earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 shook the northwestern United States on Wednesday, while a strong temblor jolted the capital of Central America's El Salavor almost at the same time.
The tremor in Seattle and western Washington state continued for 45 seconds — enough to cause at least US$1 billion in damage and send thousands of people fleeing homes, schools and offices.
But miraculously, hours after the 10.54am (2.54am yesterday, Beijing Time) quake — considered strong enough to cause major damage and injuries — there was only one report of a fatality.
A 66-year-old woman near Seattle's airport died of a heart attack following the quake, marking the first confirmed fatality after the temblor.
About 250 people were reported injured in Seattle, Olympia and other cities. It was also felt further north in Vancouver, Canada.
It was the region's first big quake since a 6.5 tremor rocked the area on April 29, 1965. A 7.1-magnitude quake in 1949 killed eight people.
The quake struck the famous and the unknown alike. It halted a speech by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, cracked the dome of the state Capitol in Olympia, triggered landslides that plugged the river that delivers the city's water and led to the temporary closure of the Seattle-Tacoma airport.
The quake also cracked the famous Boeing field where the aerospace giant tests its planes, cut power to 200,000 people in the western part of the state.
The quake was centred 100km south of Seattle near the state capital Olympia and at a depth of some 50km.
The temblor was also felt in nearby cities such as Portland, Canada's Vancouver, and as far away as Salt Lake City, 1100km away.
Washington state Governor Gary Locke declared a state of emergency, estimating the damage to roads and buildings in the billions of dollars.
In central and western El Salvador, the 5.4-magnitude quake, shaking the region at 12.42pm on Wednesday, caused landslides along main highways. But there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Panicking residents were still recovering from two devastating quakes in a month and a string of powerful aftershocks.
(SD-Agencies)
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