A 5.7 magnitude earthquake has struck south of Hawaii‘s Big Island, rocking buildings and triggering huge tremors across the state, officials say. 

The earthquake hit at an ocean depth of over 22 miles around 1.5 miles of the Kau Coast, although the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said a tsunami is not expected. 

Residents on the island of Oahu – over 200 miles from the epicenter – reported severe shaking and some damage, however it is unclear if the earthquake has resulted in any deaths or injuries. 

The PTWC catalogued the intensity of the natural disaster as VI – meaning it is significant, but is not expected to cause catastrophic damage.  

Officials initially recorded the earthquake at 6.3 magnitude, but later downgraded it to a 5.7, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said on X. 

Around an hour after the quake hit Hawaii, another 4.7 magnitude earthquake was also registered near Los Angeles, California, according to Earthquaketrack.com.  

Following the initial earthquake, six small aftershock quakes were reported in the Pahala area. 

The extent of the damage in Hawaii remains unknown, however journalist Nick Sortor reported that locals called it the ‘longest, strongest earthquake they’ve felt in a long time.’ 

Plate tectonics researcher Dr Judith Hubbard said on X that the natural disaster occurred in an area that had been ‘experiencing a swarm of seismicity.’ 

Although the 5.7 magnitude is significant, nearing others such as one in China in 2014 that killed 600 people, Hubbard said the earthquake ‘fortunately (struck) a low-density area.’ 

Stunning footage captured the moment the earthquake violently shook a home in Hawaii, leading a man and boy to frantically race to escape. 

Witnesses said the powerful quake sent shockwaves across the state.

‘I was sitting in my truck and I thought there was something wrong with my truck,’ Hawaii Island community leader Ikaika Marzo told KTRE. 

 ‘A bunch of people felt it around me.’

Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said he was in the middle of a cardiologist appointment when the earthquake struck. 

‘All of a sudden I felt like I was getting dizzy,’ he said, quipping he initially thought he was feeling the effects of a procedure.

‘We’ll probably start hearing about damage in the next hour to an hour,’ he said shortly after the earthquake hit at 10am local time. 

International Marketplace employee Alia Zannoni said she saw computer screens and pictures shaking.

‘We didn’t know what to do so we sat in our doorways,’ she said. ‘My family on Kauai said they felt it, too.’ 

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