Quake rattles American Midwest

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A US newsroom reacts as the quake hits while programme is on air

An earthquake struck the American Midwest before dawn on Friday, causing tremors from Ohio to Missouri.

The quake, with a magnitude of 5.2, was centred six miles (11km) from the town of West Salem in south-east Illinois.

The quake shook skyscrapers in central Chicago, and rocked homes in Cincinnati, Ohio, but there were no reports of injuries.

The fault zone where the tremor was centred has produced quakes in the past, but mostly very minor ones.

"It shook our house, where it woke me up," said David Behm of Philo, Illinois.

"Windows were rattling, and you could hear it. The house was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal. It's not like California."

The Chicago Tribune reported that a 300-foot tower at O'Hare International Airport swayed, with one air traffic controller saying it felt like "being on the end of a fishing pole".

The US Geological Survey says the last major quake in Illinois was in 1968 when a tremor of 5.3 magnitude struck.