MASSIVE QUAKE HITS GUAM - The Washington Post

AGANA, GUAM, AUG. 8 -- The world's strongest earthquake in four years jolted the U.S. territory of Guam today, shaking cars from bridges and forcing tourists to flee damaged hotels.

No deaths were reported on the west Pacific island and there were few serious injuries.

The quake, in an area known for strong tremors, struck around 6:34 p.m. and measured 8.1 on the Richter scale, said Frank Baldwin of the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo. The Richter scale measures the amount of energy released by an earthquake. A 7 is considered to be capable of causing serious damage and an earthquake that measures 8 can cause tremendous damage.

Several aftershocks were reported, the largest measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale, said Marvin Carlson of the earthquake center. More aftershocks are expected.

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Betty Marie Bolton, a reception desk worker at the Guam Hilton, said she was sitting at her desk when she heard a loud noise.

"Then I started feeling the earth move and shake. I ran out of the hotel into the street. I thought I was going to be swallowed up," she said.

The Hilton suffered structural damage and guests were evacuated, Bolton said. Other hotels also had to be evacuated because of structural damage, while some reported little or no problems.

A garage roof collapsed at the Guam Reef Hotel, partially crushing parked cars. Firefighters searched the cars but found no one trapped.

Guam is located west of the international date line, about 3,800 miles west of Hawaii and 1,500 miles south of Japan. The island is 30 miles long and eight miles across at its widest point.

Cars caught on bridges tumbled into rivers and there were reports of rock and land slides, said police Lt. Phil Dennis.

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Power was restored to the Tumon Bay resort area and other parts of the island, and was expected to be back for most of Guam's 133,000 residents by daybreak Monday, said Civil Defense spokesman Carl Gumataotao.

A.B. Won Pat Guam International Air Terminal was closed after the quake, but soon reopened after communications were restored, said Tim Cornelison of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Sixty people were treated at Guam Memorial Hospital, mostly for minor cuts and bruises, said administrator PeterJohn Camacho.

No injuries or structural damage were reported at U.S. military facilities on the island.

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