4.9 quake hits near Victoria, Canada; shaking felt in Seattle

A 4.9 magnitude earthquake has struck near Victoria, British Columbia, in Canada, the US Geological Survey said. Tremors have been reportedly felt as far away as Seattle.

Picture Credit: USGS.GOV

The epicenter was 19km northeast of Victoria and struck just before midnight. A tsunami warning has not been issued.

No injuries have been reported, while the seismic activity was reportedly 42km deep, according to CBC.

Nearby Vancouver has shut down its SkyTrain Expo, M-line, due to the quake. The authorities say it will only reopen once the situation is considered safe, TransLink BC is reporting on its Twitter feed.

The Vancouver Mayor’s office says there have been no reports of any major damage in the city, with no power outages either.

An auditor general’s report in 2014 mentioned that British Columbia is not prepared for a major earthquake.

Experts say that a quake with a magnitude of 7.3 could prove catastrophic, resulting in as many as 10,000 deaths, while some buildings would collapse, the Vancouver Observer reports.

The last major earthquake to hit the area was on Vancouver Island in 1946.

Source RT