MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Strong earthquake rattles Washington, New York, Virginia and Toronto area

Pentagon, White House and Congress were evacuated (Photo AP)

A strong earthquake rattled the United States East Coast, sending tremors as far as Canada, shaking Washington and scaring thousands of office workers who fled onto the streets.

There were no reports of major damage or injuries from the 5.8 magnitude quake, which was cantered in Mineral, Virginia. Tuesday’s was the largest quake in Virginia since 1897 and struck at a shallow depth, increasing its potency.

Two nuclear reactors at the North Anna power plant in Virginia shut down after the plant lost power, but the company that runs them said there was no major damage. The reactors will remain shut until they can be safely restarted.

The Pentagon, White House and US Capitol were evacuated in Washington, and thousands of alarmed workers scurried into the streets up and down the East Coast as the lunchtime quake sent items crashing to the floor from store and office shelves.

Washington's National Cathedral, host to state funerals and memorial services for many US presidents, suffered damage with three spires in the central tower breaking off.

The US East Coast does not normally feel quakes as strong as Tuesday's. The US Geological Survey said the quake was of 5.8 magnitude downgrading an earlier estimate if 5.9.

Earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 to 6 can cause damage to buildings and other structures.

As if a rare strong earthquake were not enough, the East Coast was also on alert for powerful Hurricane Irene which was heading up from the Caribbean and could hit at the weekend.

The quake made chandeliers sway in the US Capitol and the floor of the US Senate shook before staff headed for the doors. The US Congress is in recess so most members were away.

Phone service was disrupted throughout the region as network congestion prevented cell-phone users from making calls.

In New York, the tremors prompted evacuations of courthouses, City Hall and halted work at the World Trade Centre construction site.

Control towers at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey were also evacuated, and flights were grounded briefly in Washington, Philadelphia and New York.

The quake was felt as far away as Toronto in Canada. Buildings in Boston were evacuated, and some people who experienced swaying offices said they felt their stomachs turn.

A wave of saturation TV coverage of a quake that caused little or no damage on the East Coast drew smirks of amused disbelief from seismic-savvy Californians watching the news.

“East Coasters freak out, West Coasters roll their eyes,” read one headline accompanying a story about Twitter reactions on the Hollywood news website The Wrap.com.

Tremors reached Martha's Vineyard as President Barack Obama was playing golf on his summer vacation. It was unclear if Obama felt the quake.

In addition to the Virginia earthquake, there were nine tremors in the area immediately around Cokedale, Colorado, near the border of New Mexico, the largest of which was a 5.3 magnitude.