Earthquake shakes East Coast from Washington D.C. to New York City

Wreckage: Pictures show the devastating aftermath of the quake in Virginia

A huge earthquake ripped through the East Coast of America on Tuesday, causing terrifying tremors from Washington D.C. to New York.

Buildings in the major cities throughout the north east - including the Pentagon and the White House - had to be evacuated with the 5.8 magnitude earthquake, 

Open space: Workers stand in Foley Square park in New York after the earthquake

which originated in Virginia, shaking areas from as far north as Toronto, Canada, and as far south as Anderson in South Carolina.

In Virginia there were reports of damage caused by the quake, while the streets of downtown Washington and New York were filled with thousands of people hauled out of buildings for fear they could collapse.

There were also fears of a nuclear disaster of the kind seen in Japan's Fukushima because the epicentre was just a few miles from two nuclear power plants.