Magnitude 8.2 earthquake shakes Alaska

(CNN) – Parts of Alaska are under tsunami warning after an 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast, according to preliminary data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS)

The powerful earthquake occurred 56 miles (91 kilometers) east-southeast of Perryville, Alaska, and struck about 10:15 p.m. local time Wednesday night, the USGS said.

At a depth of 29 miles (46.7 km), the earthquake is considered shallow. The depth of shallow earthquakes varies between 0 and 70 km.

There were at least two strong aftershocks, one with an initial magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale and the other of magnitude 5.6, the USGS reports.

Tsunami warning

A tsunami watch has been issued in parts of the state, according to the US National Tsunami Warning Center.

They include southern Alaska and the Alaskan Peninsula, from the Hinchinbrook Inlet, (90 miles east of Seward) to the Unimak Pass, and for the Aleutian Islands, from the Unimac Pass (80 miles northeast of Onalaska), to Samalga Pass, Alaska, which is 30 miles southwest of Nikolsky .

Police in Kodiak, the largest city on Kodiak Island, advised residents to move to higher ground, adding that the high school was open as an evacuation site.

A tsunami watch has been issued in Hawaii, according to the National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The tsunami risk level is being assessed for the other Pacific coasts of the United States and Canada in North America, according to the NWS.