Tsunami warning after 7.3 magnitude earthquake triggers mass evacuation in Alaska (City Data)

People in Alaska were told to flee their homes after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami warning.

The evacuation zone covered the remote cities of Sand Point, Cold Bay, Sand and Kodiak on Popof Island around 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska.

Sirens rang out and radio stations interrupted their broadcasts with warning messages as a tsunami was declared ‘imminent’ by the National Weather Service at 1pm local time on Wednesday.

The warning was later downgraded to an advisory, according to the agency.

Residents were being urged to flee inland or find higher ground if possible.

A Tsunami Warning has been issued for the Alaska Peninsula areas from the Kennedy Entrance to Unimak Pass. (NWS)

Several more smaller quakes were recorded at Sand Point following the warning.

Snapchat users posted videos of the water receding off the coast, a tell-tale sign that a big wave was coming as others fled inland.

But the National Tsunami Warning Center later downgraded the warning to a tsunami advisory alert.

They said: ‘Tsunami advisories mean that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to people in or very near the water is expected.

‘Significant widespread inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory.

‘Currents may be hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures and may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival.’