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New York City Hit With Earthquake Originally Mistaken As Explosion

(Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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A 1.7 magnitude earthquake rocked part of Astoria, Queens, early Tuesday morning after reports of what sounded like an explosion on Roosevelt Island came in, according to the United States Geological Survey.

There were no reports of injuries or damages in the area as of early Tuesday morning, WABC reported.

Authorities with the New York City Fire Department are checking for possible structural damages while Con Edison is investigating the power outages, according to the local report.

Calls began coming in around 5:45 a.m., from Astoria and the Upper East Side, coinciding with the earthquake. One resident said it “sounded like a bomb went off,” according to WABC. (RELATED: Evidence Of Massive Earthquake In US 1,100 Years Ago Suggests It Could Happen Again)

“It was like an explosion, sounded like a bomb went off. The building shook, it woke us up. We called downstairs and they said it happened to all four buildings,” an unidentified resident said.

Another resident at living in a building near the Roosevelt Island Bridge said their building lost power.

“The elevators were out, we walked down. So much commotion going on,” the resident said, according to WABC. “No one knew what was going on.”

An earthquake last affected New York state in May, when a 2.2 magnitude earthquake hit Westchester County and New Jersey.