7-magnitude quake strikes off California, tsunami alert lifted

SAN FRANCISCO - A large 7-magnitude earthquake struck off a sparsely populated stretch of the northern California coast on Dec 5, prompting coastal towns to evacuate low-lying areas amid a tsunami warning.

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No deaths or injuries were reported. There were no reports of major damage, though the authorities said they needed time to check across the impacted area.

The National Weather Service said the tsunami warning that extended along 800km of the California and Oregon coasts was called off about 90 minutes after the earthquake struck at 10.44am Pacific time (2.44am on Dec 6, Singapore time).

The quake, which hit at a shallow depth of 10km, was centred about 60km west of the town of Ferndale, a sparsely populated portion of the northern California coast, the US Geological Survey said.