An early-morning earthquake at sea has knocked out power and toppled rock walls across the US state of Hawaii but there are no reports of deaths.
An early-morning earthquake at sea has knocked out power and toppled rock walls across the US state of Hawaii but there are no reports of deaths.
US scientists recorded the 6.3 quake at 0707 (1607 GMT) six miles (10km) south-west of the coastal town of Puako on the state's southernmost Big Island.
US scientists recorded the 6.3 quake at 0707 (1607 GMT) six miles (10km) south-west of the coastal town of Puako on the state's southernmost Big Island.
There was "no report at all of any fatality", Governor Linda Lingle said.
There was "no report at all of any fatality", Governor Linda Lingle said.
A US scientist said there was no risk of a tsunami but "significant wave activity" in Hawaii.
A US scientist said there was no risk of a tsunami but "significant wave activity" in Hawaii.
We heard reports that caskets had become visible at some cemeteries where tombs had cracked James, Holualoa
We heard reports that caskets had become visible at some cemeteries where tombs had cracked James, Holualoa
The quake was felt as far as 150 miles (240km) away to the north-west on the island of Oahu where some people were trapped in lifts.
The quake was felt as far as 150 miles (240km) away to the north-west on the island of Oahu where some people were trapped in lifts.
Boulders fell on highways, rock walls fell down and television sets were knocked off stands, Governor Lingle said.
Boulders fell on highways, rock walls fell down and television sets were knocked off stands, Governor Lingle said.
Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the US National Earthquake Information Center, said there was no risk of a Pacific-wide tsunami.
Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the US National Earthquake Information Center, said there was no risk of a Pacific-wide tsunami.
"I wouldn't expect anything catastrophic," he said. "But you never know about these things."
"I wouldn't expect anything catastrophic," he said. "But you never know about these things."
Liz Fischer, a BBC News website user from Paia Hawaii, said she woke to find her wood-frame house swaying and stood outside as aftershocks arrived.
Liz Fischer, a BBC News website user from Paia Hawaii, said she woke to find her wood-frame house swaying and stood outside as aftershocks arrived.
However the damage seemed minimal apart from things being thrown off shelves.
However the damage seemed minimal apart from things being thrown off shelves.
Alex Davidson wrote from Kailua-Kona to say that as someone who had long lived in san Francisco he could say that the Hawaian quake was "one of the biggest" he had experienced.
Alex Davidson wrote from Kailua-Kona to say that as someone who had long lived in san Francisco he could say that the Hawaian quake was "one of the biggest" he had experienced.
But there had been little damage to his house, he added.
But there had been little damage to his house, he added.
Your accounts
Your accounts
We're east of the epicenter about 45 miles along the Hamakua Coast. I was at the computer with my coffee when the house began to shake violently. I sat there waiting...I've been through this before...when things started crashing down onto the floor I ran outside on our porch and everything was shaking, including the power lines and poles! It lasted about 15-20 seconds and then subsided with another shock 7 minutes later that wasn't nearly as powerful. Our house is on a cliff overlooking the sea and as I looked up and down the coastline I could see clouds of dust along both directions of the coast; presumably from landslides going into the water.TJ Geare, Laupahoehoe, HI USA
Very violent shaking of the whole house, which is on pier/post on a second floor. I was at my desk on the computer when it began. I am used to some small shakes, but this one ramped up quickly. I dove toward the center of the house to find a doorway and heard shattering glass behind me. A whole 5'x5' plate glass window shattered next to my desk, with shards going inside and outside at the same time. Three of the posts under the lanai are severed from the deck underneath. We headed back out the door when the second aftershock hit, but it was more of a sharp jolt than the long, rolling, shaking first one.William Silver, Kealakekua, Hi
Very violent shaking of the whole house, which is on pier/post on a second floor. I was at my desk on the computer when it began. I am used to some small shakes, but this one ramped up quickly. I dove toward the center of the house to find a doorway and heard shattering glass behind me. A whole 5'x5' plate glass window shattered next to my desk, with shards going inside and outside at the same time. Three of the posts under the lanai are severed from the deck underneath. We headed back out the door when the second aftershock hit, but it was more of a sharp jolt than the long, rolling, shaking first one.William Silver, Kealakekua, Hi
A rather unusual wake up call here on the University of The Nations campus where students from all over the world were woken up just after 7 am with a loud rumbling sound and the building shaking. I woke up to my bed violently shaking and thought my friends must be waking me up! I soon realized that the entire room was shaking along with things falling of tables. It was very strong. I made my way outside as quickly as possible grabbing a pair of shorts of the floor to make my appearance decent to all the other hundreds of students rushing out of their rooms. Praise God that none of us were injured. A rather interesting experience :-) Aloha!Matthew McDonald, Kalua-Kona, Big Island
A rather unusual wake up call here on the University of The Nations campus where students from all over the world were woken up just after 7 am with a loud rumbling sound and the building shaking. I woke up to my bed violently shaking and thought my friends must be waking me up! I soon realized that the entire room was shaking along with things falling of tables. It was very strong. I made my way outside as quickly as possible grabbing a pair of shorts of the floor to make my appearance decent to all the other hundreds of students rushing out of their rooms. Praise God that none of us were injured. A rather interesting experience :-) Aloha!Matthew McDonald, Kalua-Kona, Big Island
Our house was thrashed, glass everywhere. Things are coming back up fast: power, water, internet. Lots of rock walls are down and strewn across the roads, but most are still passable. From what I know all the major hotels are evacuated up North on the Kona side. We heard reports that caskets had become visible at some cemeteries where tombs had cracked. Keep us all in prayer.James, Holualoa, HI, USA
Our house was thrashed, glass everywhere. Things are coming back up fast: power, water, internet. Lots of rock walls are down and strewn across the roads, but most are still passable. From what I know all the major hotels are evacuated up North on the Kona side. We heard reports that caskets had become visible at some cemeteries where tombs had cracked. Keep us all in prayer.James, Holualoa, HI, USA
We live next door to Puako, at the Mauna Lani Resort in South Kohala, so the quake was in our front yard. Major heavy shaking and shifting for perhaps 20-30 seconds threw many things off shelves, breaking lots of glassware and art items. In our complex, the Villages at Mauna Lani, half a dozen water heaters loosened or broke their pipes. TVs were dumped onto the floor, and two story houses sustained lots of sheetrock cracks. Power was off for 7 hours. We went house to house checking for water leaks and damaged electrical equipment where no one was at home. It would seem there was not any structural damage, but almost all our homes here will require extensive interior wall patching, and much lovely pottery and glass was destroyed. This is by far the biggest earthquake we have felt here in many years.Mel Malinowski, South Kohala, Hawaii
We live next door to Puako, at the Mauna Lani Resort in South Kohala, so the quake was in our front yard. Major heavy shaking and shifting for perhaps 20-30 seconds threw many things off shelves, breaking lots of glassware and art items. In our complex, the Villages at Mauna Lani, half a dozen water heaters loosened or broke their pipes. TVs were dumped onto the floor, and two story houses sustained lots of sheetrock cracks. Power was off for 7 hours. We went house to house checking for water leaks and damaged electrical equipment where no one was at home. It would seem there was not any structural damage, but almost all our homes here will require extensive interior wall patching, and much lovely pottery and glass was destroyed. This is by far the biggest earthquake we have felt here in many years.Mel Malinowski, South Kohala, Hawaii
I had just sat down at the computer to check the latest on a flash flood warning that we were under. I heard the windows start to shake a little and assumed that our 'Kona-storm' winds had intensified. Within seconds I felt vibration through the floor and chair. This is the fourth quake that I've experienced, up till now, they've lasted a few seconds and been very light... Not this one! By the time I got to my feet to alert my fiancee, the whole building was shaking violently with pictures and mirrors 'bouncing' on the walls. As the quake reached it's peak, all three of our cats had already found refuge under 'strong points'... and one of them is blind! (How did they know?:-) Power now restored to the West side of the Island. Still keeping one eye on the sky and keeping fingers crossed that aftershocks will remain very light. The main reason that the very first news reports were able to confidently report that a tsunami was not generated is that it would have taken between 5-10 minutes for a tsunami generated by this quake, to have hit all the main Islands !! Roger H., Lahaina, Maui
I had just sat down at the computer to check the latest on a flash flood warning that we were under. I heard the windows start to shake a little and assumed that our 'Kona-storm' winds had intensified. Within seconds I felt vibration through the floor and chair. This is the fourth quake that I've experienced, up till now, they've lasted a few seconds and been very light... Not this one! By the time I got to my feet to alert my fiancee, the whole building was shaking violently with pictures and mirrors 'bouncing' on the walls. As the quake reached it's peak, all three of our cats had already found refuge under 'strong points'... and one of them is blind! (How did they know?:-) Power now restored to the West side of the Island. Still keeping one eye on the sky and keeping fingers crossed that aftershocks will remain very light. The main reason that the very first news reports were able to confidently report that a tsunami was not generated is that it would have taken between 5-10 minutes for a tsunami generated by this quake, to have hit all the main Islands !! Roger H., Lahaina, Maui
The ripping earthquake that ravaged our community in central Kona today caused major landslides off the face of Kealakekua Bay cliffs at Naapoopoo . The historic Captain James Cook Monument, which is considered British sovereign territory, was either knocked down or crushed in this event . This according to County of Hawaii aerial search and rescue services ,which I am monitoring at this time. Road closed and bridges broken, water tanks ruptured all over the island . The worst earthquake I have ever felt in 35 years of residence.Robert Gowan, Captain Cook Hawaii USA
The ripping earthquake that ravaged our community in central Kona today caused major landslides off the face of Kealakekua Bay cliffs at Naapoopoo . The historic Captain James Cook Monument, which is considered British sovereign territory, was either knocked down or crushed in this event . This according to County of Hawaii aerial search and rescue services ,which I am monitoring at this time. Road closed and bridges broken, water tanks ruptured all over the island . The worst earthquake I have ever felt in 35 years of residence.Robert Gowan, Captain Cook Hawaii USA
I am visiting here from San Francisco, the earthquake capitol of the world. A little after 7am our hotel room here on the beach started swaying back and forth for about 15 to 20 seconds. This was followed by a minor aftershock about a minute later. We have been without power since the earthquake - about 4.5 hrs now. The hotel had problems getting the back-up generator running for about the first 2 hours. Wave activity seems normal.William Cahill, Waikiki, Hawaii
I am visiting here from San Francisco, the earthquake capitol of the world. A little after 7am our hotel room here on the beach started swaying back and forth for about 15 to 20 seconds. This was followed by a minor aftershock about a minute later. We have been without power since the earthquake - about 4.5 hrs now. The hotel had problems getting the back-up generator running for about the first 2 hours. Wave activity seems normal.William Cahill, Waikiki, Hawaii
It went on for about 2 minutes giving me time to run outside and observe a slight undulating of the ground. All the power went off on this island Maui and on Oahu where Honolulu is with its big population. It's Sunday so traffic was light. Special events were planned like a Ukulele Festival. Power is back on so the festival will probably go on as planned. John Bruce, Maui, Hawaii
It went on for about 2 minutes giving me time to run outside and observe a slight undulating of the ground. All the power went off on this island Maui and on Oahu where Honolulu is with its big population. It's Sunday so traffic was light. Special events were planned like a Ukulele Festival. Power is back on so the festival will probably go on as planned. John Bruce, Maui, Hawaii
The earthquake woke us up this morning. It shook the house for a while and rattled the dishes, but otherwise did no damage. Life is proceeding as normal. The news reports I've read so far make it sound quite a bit scarier than it was.Michael Reid, Hilo, Hawaii, USA
The earthquake woke us up this morning. It shook the house for a while and rattled the dishes, but otherwise did no damage. Life is proceeding as normal. The news reports I've read so far make it sound quite a bit scarier than it was.Michael Reid, Hilo, Hawaii, USA
I woke up to my wood frame house swaying and my floor shaking early this morning - I ran outside along with my flatmates. We waited as a couple of aftershocks occurred under an overcast sky. It was a surprising way to wake up on a windy Sunday morning, however, the damage as far as anyone around here can see is minimal. Just things flung from shelves and such. Our electric was off in Maui for three hours , but it didn't stop us from making coffee - thank goodness for the gas stove and our French press. Our power is now online again and it's a fairly mundane morning . Life as usual. Almost. Liz Fischer, Paia Hawaii
I woke up to my wood frame house swaying and my floor shaking early this morning - I ran outside along with my flatmates. We waited as a couple of aftershocks occurred under an overcast sky. It was a surprising way to wake up on a windy Sunday morning, however, the damage as far as anyone around here can see is minimal. Just things flung from shelves and such. Our electric was off in Maui for three hours , but it didn't stop us from making coffee - thank goodness for the gas stove and our French press. Our power is now online again and it's a fairly mundane morning . Life as usual. Almost. Liz Fischer, Paia Hawaii
We had violent shaking that caused deadbolted doors to burst open, books to tumble off shelves and all our ornaments and china to migrate across surfaces or tip over. Lamps fell over, pictures are askew and drawers and cupboards opened spontaneously, but we have little relative damage--some glassware and a broken ceiling fan. There is sporadic loss of electrical power and the phone systems are overloaded. Latest info is that the largest quake was 6.3 and that we have had upwards of 20 aftershocks, some have been rather strong. Other homes in the area have light fixtures dislodged from ceilings and shattered wall mirrors. Jennifer Shinsato, Kamuela Hawaii
We had violent shaking that caused deadbolted doors to burst open, books to tumble off shelves and all our ornaments and china to migrate across surfaces or tip over. Lamps fell over, pictures are askew and drawers and cupboards opened spontaneously, but we have little relative damage--some glassware and a broken ceiling fan. There is sporadic loss of electrical power and the phone systems are overloaded. Latest info is that the largest quake was 6.3 and that we have had upwards of 20 aftershocks, some have been rather strong. Other homes in the area have light fixtures dislodged from ceilings and shattered wall mirrors. Jennifer Shinsato, Kamuela Hawaii
This was definitely a big quake! My husband and I were awoken to the house shaking so bad that we couldn't stand up. There is no damage that we've seen, though Civil Defense is asking everyone to stay off the roads and phone services, because of most highways being damaged or even destroyed. The people of Hawaii are used to earthquakes, since we live on a volcano. Most have emergency power generators, backup water supply, and fruit trees. This was certainly a ride, though!Steph Bairey, Keaau, HI, USA
This was definitely a big quake! My husband and I were awoken to the house shaking so bad that we couldn't stand up. There is no damage that we've seen, though Civil Defense is asking everyone to stay off the roads and phone services, because of most highways being damaged or even destroyed. The people of Hawaii are used to earthquakes, since we live on a volcano. Most have emergency power generators, backup water supply, and fruit trees. This was certainly a ride, though!Steph Bairey, Keaau, HI, USA
We live just a few miles from the epicentre of the earthquake. We have experienced several small quakes since we moved here 3 years ago (I'm an ex-pat Brit), but nothing like this. Just after 7am the whole house started rumbling and shaking for several seconds, and we raced to the nearest doorway. It was followed by an almost equally bad aftershock just a few minutes later. We only lost power for a few minutes, but there have been widespread outages throughout the state. Also, at least 2 highways have been closed due to landslides, and the local hospital was evacuated due to structural damage. Many of our friends have no power, everything has been shaken from their cupboards and walls, water tanks are leaking. Many people use propane tanks for ovens and water heaters, so I would expect there to be several gas leaks. Stuart McMullan, Kailua Kona, Hawaii, USA
We live just a few miles from the epicentre of the earthquake. We have experienced several small quakes since we moved here 3 years ago (I'm an ex-pat Brit), but nothing like this. Just after 7am the whole house started rumbling and shaking for several seconds, and we raced to the nearest doorway. It was followed by an almost equally bad aftershock just a few minutes later. We only lost power for a few minutes, but there have been widespread outages throughout the state. Also, at least 2 highways have been closed due to landslides, and the local hospital was evacuated due to structural damage. Many of our friends have no power, everything has been shaken from their cupboards and walls, water tanks are leaking. Many people use propane tanks for ovens and water heaters, so I would expect there to be several gas leaks. Stuart McMullan, Kailua Kona, Hawaii, USA
Aloha, this was one of the biggest earthquakes I've experienced. As a long time resident of San Francisco I'm used to shocks - but this was a big one! Very violent shaking with loud rumbling that lasted a long time. Our house is ok - just some minor cracks in some tiles but we hear that others have shifted on their foundations. It's too early to tell how extensive the damage is to Kona as we've all been told to stay off the phones and off the roads. AlexAlex Davidson, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA
Aloha, this was one of the biggest earthquakes I've experienced. As a long time resident of San Francisco I'm used to shocks - but this was a big one! Very violent shaking with loud rumbling that lasted a long time. Our house is ok - just some minor cracks in some tiles but we hear that others have shifted on their foundations. It's too early to tell how extensive the damage is to Kona as we've all been told to stay off the phones and off the roads. AlexAlex Davidson, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA
Were you affected by the Hawaiian earthquake? Send us your accounts using the form below. If you have any pictures you can send them to yourpics@bbc.co.uk.
Were you affected by the Hawaiian earthquake? Send us your accounts using the form below. If you have any pictures you can send them to yourpics@bbc.co.uk.
