7.9 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes off Alaska

A tsunami warning was issued following a powerful quake that struck the southeast of the town of Kodiak, Alaska. (AP)
A tsunami warning was issued following a powerful quake that struck the southeast of the town of Kodiak, Alaska. (AP)
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7.9 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes off Alaska

A tsunami warning was issued following a powerful quake that struck the southeast of the town of Kodiak, Alaska. (AP)
A tsunami warning was issued following a powerful quake that struck the southeast of the town of Kodiak, Alaska. (AP)

A tsunami warning was lifted across the western US and Canada coasts after a powerful earthquake struck the US state of Alaska.

The warning was originally issued across the south and southeast Alaska and the west coast of Canada and the remainder of the US West Coast came under a watch following the 7.9-magnitude quake.

It struck at 0931 GMT in the Gulf of Alaska, 280 kilometers (175 miles) southeast of the town of Kodiak, the US Geological Survey said, revising a preliminary estimate of 8.2 magnitude. The epicenter was 10 kilometers under the seabed.

Less-ominous tsunami watches were issued for the US west coast -- the entire coasts of California and Oregon and part of Washington state -- and Hawaii out in the Pacific.

Heather Rand, who was 360 miles away in Anchorage, told CNN it felt like the longest earthquake she had ever experienced.

"It was a very long, slow build up. Creepy, more than anything. Definitely the longest, and I was born here," Rand said, adding the only damage was cracks in the wall.

So far no quake damage or large waves have been reported in Kodiak, which is on an island off the coast, police spokesman Tim Putney told AFP.

"We are half an hour beyond the time we were told the first wave might hit. Nothing has happened," he said around 1115 GMT.

The earthquake woke Putney up out of a dead sleep, and he estimates it shook for at least 30 seconds.

Larry LeDoux, superintendent of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, said schools were open as shelters and estimated there were about 500 people at the high school.

He described the atmosphere inside as calm, with people waiting for any updates.

He said sirens go off in the community every week, as a test to make sure they are working. He said the sirens were sounded for the early Tuesday tsunami warning.



Pope Had a Peaceful Night After Pneumonia Diagnosis, Vatican Says

People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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Pope Had a Peaceful Night After Pneumonia Diagnosis, Vatican Says

People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk outside the Gemelli Hospital, where Pope Francis is admitted to continue treatment for a respiratory tract infection, in Rome, Italy, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Pope Francis spent a peaceful fifth night in hospital and ate breakfast on Wednesday, the Vatican said in its latest update on the pontiff's fragile health.

Francis has the onset of double pneumonia, the Vatican said on Tuesday, complicating treatment for the 88-year-old pope who was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on February 14.

Double pneumonia is a serious infection that can inflame and scar both lungs and makes breathing more difficult.

The Vatican had said previously that the pope had a polymicrobial infection, which occurs when two or more micro-organisms are involved, adding that he would stay in hospital as long as necessary to tackle a "complex clinical situation".

The pope has been plagued by ill health in recent years, including regular bouts of flu, sciatica nerve pain and an abdominal hernia that required surgery in 2023. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed.

All the pope's public engagements have been cancelled through Sunday and he has no further official events on the Vatican's published calendar.