Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, April 27, 2002
Strong Earthquake Rocks Guam
A strong earthquake rocked Guam early Saturday, knocking out electricity across the island and sending several people to a hospital with cuts and bruises.
A strong earthquake rocked Guam early Saturday, knocking out electricity across the island and sending several people to a hospital with cuts and bruises.
The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 and was centered 30 miles southwest of Hagatna, the island capital, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It hit at 2:06 a.m. (12:06 p.m. EDT Friday) at a depth of 47 miles.
Guam Memorial Hospital reported minor damage to its building, and the quake shook loose water lines at the Guam International Airport, including one over the security screening area, delaying departure of some flights.
The quake struck during a peak morning hour for international stopover flights.
Authorities began a visual assessment of damage at sunrise, according to the Civil Defense office. Preliminary checks of roads and bridges found no serious damage, authorities said.
Some areas remained without electricity for several hours as crews inspected lines before reactivating them.
Five people went to the hospital with minor injuries, officials said.
No Pacific-wide tsunami warning was in effect, said Joe Javellana, Civil Defense acting administrator.
Guam, a U.S. territory with 154,000 people, is 3,800 miles west of Hawaii.