Seattle quake damage 'tops $1bn'

Rubble in downtown Seattle following the earthquake

The Seattle earthquake, which damaged Microsoft offices, and prompted the closure of Starbucks' headquarters, has caused an estimated $1bn of damage.

The earthquake, which measured 6.8 on the Richter Scale, was actually 0.1 point stronger than the 1994 Los Angeles quake which caused $15.3bn of damaged and killed 72 people.

Buildings damaged by Wednesday's quake, which struck at about 1854 GMT and was the strongest to hit the state for 52 years, included the headquarters of coffee firm Starbucks.

Cars were damaged by bricks dropping from the building, which will be closed for several days to allow a damage survey to be carried out.

Aerospace giant Boeing was also hit by the 45-second tremor, which buckled runways and blew out windows and pipes in the control tower at the firm's test airstrip.

The firm, which also suffered a roof collapse at an office block in central Seattle, sent home about 70,000 factory workers.

"We're in the process of trying to get a full picture of how much damage has been done," said Boeing spokesman Larry McCracken.

The city's international airport was also closed to flights at one point, and staff began building a temporary control tower, as air traffic facilities were switched to emergency power sources.

Bill Gates leaves the building

The main offices for Microsoft were also damaged.

CNBC television reported that the company's headquarters in nearby Redmond suffered gas leaks and power outages.

A Microsoft spokesman said the damage is not expected to have a material effect on the company.

Mr Gates had to abandon his speech as the quake struck

Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman, was giving an address in Seattle as the quake began.

Mr Gates left the stage as objects appeared to fall from the ceiling.

Thousands of people were evacuated throughout the city. Some workers, however, were trapped in high-rise offices, unable to use the lifts.

The quake epicentre was a little more than 50km from Seattle city centre.