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Strong quake hits sparsely populated area in Southeast Alaska

by Reuters
Monday, 1 May 2017 14:17 GMT

The Inupiat Eskimo village of Noorvik in Western Alaska is seen in this 2010 archive photo. REUTERS/Al Grillo/U.S. Census Bureau/Handout

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The temblor hit northwest of a hamlet with a population of about 300

May 1 (Reuters) - A strong earthquake struck Southeast Alaska near its border with Canada's Yukon Territory on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, followed by a series of minor seismic events in the sparsely populated area.

The temblor, a magnitude of 6.2, hit northwest of Mosquito Lake, a hamlet with a population of about 300 that lies 88 km west-northwest of Skagway, Alaska, the USGS said on its website. Soon after it struck at 12:31 UTC (0831 Eastern), the USGS made a preliminary estimate of 6.5.

Earthquakes of that size could cause "considerable damage in poorly built or badly designed structures," according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or property damage from the quake, one of more than 13,000 recorded in Alaska this year, according the Alaska Earthquake Center.

(Reporting By Frank McGurty; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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