No major structural damage has been reported at Washington D.C. monuments, the U.S. Park Police said shortly after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocked the eastern seaboard.
U.S. Park Police spokesman David Schlosser said there were no injuries or major damage reported at the many monuments in the nation’s capitol. However, all the Smithsonian Institution’s museums and national monuments were closed, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial which opened to the public on Monday.
“All those heavy rocks. Can’t have those landing on people,” Schlosser said.
Schlosser told TheDC that the monuments may remain closed until engineering crews can examine them.
An early rumor that the Washington Monument may have tilted as a result of the quake has not been confirmed. A U.S. Park Police helicopter was photographing the monument this afternoon to look for any structural damage.
According to reports, the spires of the Washington National Cathedral, which began construction in 1907, were damaged in the quake.
D.C. Metro stations are open, but all trains are running at 15 miles per hour.
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