Magnitude 5.8 quake shakes Anchorage, Alaska

ANCHORAGE (AP) - A strong earthquake on Monday was felt over a 280-km swath of Alaska, including the state's largest city, but there were no immediate reports of damage beyond items knocked off shelves.

The Alaska and West Coast Tsunami Warning Centre said the magnitude-5.8 earthquake occurred at about 4.45 pm and was centred about 50 km north-west of Anchorage. The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said the centre was 43 km west of Anchorage.

Mr Guy Urban, a geophysicist at the tsunami warning centre, said the quake was not expected to generate a tsunami.

He said the centre had reports of residents feeling the quake throughout the Anchorage metro area and beyond. It was also felt as far south as the fishing community of Homer, 200 km south-west of Anchorage, and in Willow, 80 km north of the city.