Strong quake hits sparsely populated area in Southeast Alaska

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.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)