7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes near Alaska, prompting brief tsunami warning

A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck near the Alaska Peninsula late Saturday.

Preliminary data placed the quake about 55 miles southwest of Sand Point, Alaska, the National Weather Service said. It had initially been measured at a magnitude of 7.4, the United States Geological Survey said on Twitter.

It struck at about 10:48 p.m. local time.

The quake prompted the National Weather Service in Anchorage to issue a brief tsunami warning, saying there was a risk of "significant inundation," an alert that was downgraded to an advisory before being canceled altogether early Sunday.

"A tsunami was generated by this event, but no longer poses a threat," the NWS National Tsunami Warning Center said. "Some areas may continue to see small sea level changes."

The center's earlier update had been an advisory, urged locals near the coast to "move off the beach and out of harbors and marinas."

In a brief tsunami warning before the advisory, weather officials had listed times spanning about 90 minutes when tsunami waves were expected to hit the shore "from Chignik Bay to Unimak Pass."

"Significant inundation is possible or already occurring," the service's Anchorage office said on Twitter in announcing the earlier warning. "Move inland to higher ground."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.