A magnitude-5.9 earthquake has rattled the east coast of the United States.

The quake was felt in Washington, where the Pentagon and US Capitol building were evacuated, as well as in New York.

The Washington National Cathedral and the Ecuadorean embassy were among buildings damaged, although there were no immediate reports of injuries.

Federal officials said two nuclear reactors had been taken offline near the epicentre of the quake in Virginia but that no damage had been reported.

The quake struck at a depth of 3.7 miles (6km), the US Geological Survey said, and its epicentre was about 9 miles from the town of Mineral, in the state of Virginia.

An initial measurement of 5.8 was later upgraded.

Flights on hold

The tremor shook Washington DC for about 30 seconds, causing office buildings to sway and houses to shake.

The streets of the city filled with evacuated workers minutes after the quake, and police moved swiftly to cordon off key government institutions, restricting access to federal buildings on Capitol Hill.

Television monitors and lights swayed for about 30 seconds as the quake rumbled away, and the mobile phone network showed intermittent service for some time afterwards.

"When it started, it felt like someone was moving furniture next door," Peter Walker told the BBC from Washington.

"Things began to shake even more and so everyone rushed out into the corridor.

"The alarm went off and the building was evacuated. After an hour we were all sent home.

"There are traffic jams all over the city. The metro is really crowded and so some people are walking or cycling home."

Reports said the tremor was felt as far north as Boston and in North and South Carolina in the south.

Flights from New York's John F Kennedy and Newark airports were delayed while authorities checked for damage from the quake, but later resumed.

The Associated Press said flights out of Reagan National Airport were also put on hold.

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