Powerful quake rattles Alaska's Aleutian Islands

A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocks Alaska and briefly sparks a tsunami warning in some Alaskan coastal areas that was later retracted.

A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Alaska's Aleutian islands on Wednesday and briefly sparked a tsunami warning in some Alaskan coastal areas that was later retracted, officials said.

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The quake's epicentre was located 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Adak and 2,098 kilometers west-southwest of Anchorage, and it hit at 0930 GMT, according to the United States Geological Survey.

It struck around 40 kilometers (25 miles) deep, and was followed by a 5.5 magnitude aftershock about one hour later.

The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center cancelled a tsunami warning it issued shortly after the quake, saying, "no destructive tsunami has been recorded, and no tsunami danger exists along the coasts of the US west coast states, Alaska, and British Columbia."