Earthquake strikes US east coast

23 August 2011 Last updated at 14:32 ET

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake has struck the east coast of the United States.

The quake was felt in Washington, where the Pentagon and US Capitol Building were evacuated, as well as in New York.

There were no immediate reports of any major damage or injuries.

The quake hit at 1351 local time (1751 GMT) at a depth of 3.7 miles (6km), the US Geological Survey said. The tremor was centred some 9 miles from the town of Mineral, in the state of Virginia, it said.

An initial measurement of 5.8 was later upgraded.

The BBC’s Jonny Dymond in Washington said the city’s streets filled with evacuated workers minutes after the earthquake hit. He said at street level the quake felt like an underground train passing close.

Television monitors and lights swayed for about 30 seconds, he said, and the mobile phone network temporarily crashed.

Our correspondent said the earthquake was felt as far north as Boston and to the Carolinas in the south.

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