US East Coast Shook By Strongest Earth Quake In 67 years

UPDATES magnitude; Map locates the epicenter of an earthquake in Virginia.

US East Coast was hit by a 5.8-magnitude earth quake at 1:51 p.m. Eastern Time, Tuesday.

The epicenter was 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Mineral, Virginia, and 84 miles (135 kilometers) away from Washington, D.C.

People ran out of their houses, tall buildings and offices.

Parts of the White House, Capitol and Pentagon were evacuated.

Some people did not know that was an earth quake and thought that it was an explosion, a bomb or a terrorist attack on their buildings.

The quake was felt as far north as Toronto, as far west as Indiana and Kentucky and as far south as Atlanta and Savannah, Ga.

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Bob Brown - Members of the public and staff stand outside the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, after an earthquake caused evacuation of many structures in the city. (AP Photo/Richmond Times-Dispatch, Bob Brown)

Civilians and military personnel evacuate the Pentagon in Washington after an earthquake was felt on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason Graham)

US Park Service helicopter patrols over the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, as a member of the Secret Service walks across the roof of the White House following an earthquake in the Washington area. The 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far north as Rhode Island and New York City. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

People who came out on the street after an earthquake look up at a window that cracked during the quake on Market Street in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A worker with Baltimore Gas and Electric walks past a square where workers wait for word to re-enter their office buildings after an earthquake was felt in Baltimore on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Downtown office buildings were cleared and workers were waiting for clearance to re-enter. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

A worker with Baltimore Gas and Electric walks past a square where workers wait for word to re-enter their office buildings after an earthquake was felt in Baltimore on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Debris covers the floor of the Miller's Mart food store in Mineral, Va., a small town northwest of Richmond near the earthquake's epicenter, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. The most powerful earthquake to strike the East Coast in 67 years shook buildings and rattled nerves from South Carolina to Maine. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

People crowd Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, as buildings were evacuated following an earthquake in the Washington area. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The sun sets behind a quake damaged building in Mineral, Va., a small town close to the epicenter, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)