Quake rattles eastern seaboard, shakes up D.C.

MINERAL, Va. — A 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered in rural Virginia forced evacuations of all the memorials and monuments on the National Mall in Washington and rattled nerves from South Carolina to Massachusetts.

A District of Columbia fire department spokesman said though there were numerous injuries, there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was half a mile deep and centered near Louisa, Va., about 40 miles northwest of Richmond. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Charleston, S.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated.

The epicenter of the quake is situated near the twin nuclear reactors of a Dominion Power and Light project. No reports were available as to damage to the reactor at this hour.