Incredible Video Shows The Devastation Caused By The Huge Earthquake

A terrifying video taken by a journalist in Alaska, shows the total devastation being wrought by an earthquake that hit the state's largest city earlier today.

The short clip taken in a court room shows legal workers ducking beneath their desks, trying to find cover, as panels begin falling from the ceiling and picture frames rattle uncontrollably on the walls, as the building shakes around them.

Taken by local reporter Heather Hintze, the minute-long clip has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times since it was shared on her Twitter account.

In the caption, she said: "This is what happened on the 6th floor of the Nesbett Courthouse during the Anchorage #earthquake. Both attorneys jumped under their desks. Evacuated the building after the shaking stopped."

After evacuating the courtroom, she then shared another short video from the first floor of the building, which showed the impact of an aftershock, which sent the metal detectors into meltdown.

The caption said: "The first floor for the second earthquake. The metal detectors all go off at the same time when the Earth is moving, guard explained. Several new cracks reported in Nesbett Courthouse wall."

This comes after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 rocked the heart of the American state, which has pulled apart roads and buildings in the area.

According to reports, the initial quake happened around seven miles to the north of Anchorage, which with around 300,000 residents is the largest city in the state, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The first tremor - which had a depth of 40.9km - was then followed by a series of aftershocks, with the most powerful reaching a magnitude of 5.7.

Official sources confirmed the earthquake was first reported at 08.29 local time (17.29 GMT).

A stream of photographs and videos have since been shared on social media, showing the devastation that is being wrought after the quake hit the area, with people being evacuated.

However, with the quakes happening just hours ago it is still too early to determine the true extent of the destruction that has been caused to the city and its surrounding areas.

But according to media outlets there are no current reports of any casualties.

Topics: World News, US News

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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