Tsunami alert issued after powerful 7.8 earthquake hits Alaska isles

A powerful 7.8 earthquake has struck the Alaska Peninsula and a tsunami warning has been issued.

According to the US Geological Survey, the 7.8 magnitude quake struck at about 11.12 pm local time.

It had a depth of 9.6 kilometres and was centered 96 kilometres south-southeast of Perryville, Alaska.

The tsunami warning was issued for South Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands.

A tsunami advisory was posted for some areas nearby. For other US and Canadian Pacific coasts in North America, there is no tsunami threat.