5.8-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes US East Coast

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake on the Richter Scale has jolted the Eastern US, leading to building evacuations in New York City and Washington, DC.

The earthquake, which is the strongest for the region from Maine to Georgia since 1944, hit the East Coast at 1:51 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey, cited by the Washington Post.

The quake's epicenter was 90 miles southwest of Washington, DC, in the state of Virginia.

There have been no reports of deaths or injuries even though the quake is widely reported to have caused an initial scare along the East Coast, hitting shortly before the 10th year since 9/11.

Parts of the White House, Capitol and Pentagon were evacuated. In New York and Washington, people said their thoughts were of an explosion or terrorist attack.

Tuesday's earthquake was felt as far north as Toronto, as far west as Indiana and Kentucky and as far south as Atlanta and Savannah, Ga. It was also felt on Martha's Vineyard off Massachusetts, where President Barack Obama, who is vacationing there, was getting ready to tee off in a round of golf, the WP reports.

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