Earthquake hits off British Columbia coast

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- A strong earthquake struck off Canada's west coast early Thursday near Vancouver Island.

The magnitude-6.1 quake hit at 5:37 a.m. Its epicenter was 97 miles west of Port Hardy and 293 miles west northwest of Vancouver, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It struck at a depth of 6.2 miles.

The quake was the latest in a series of coastal tremors since Monday. Two quakes rattled the area Wednesday, both with magnitudes of around 5. There have been 18 quakes in the region this week.

Seismologists said the tremors are occurring in a "seismically active" region, and they are too far offshore to be felt on land and too small to generate a tsunami.

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