Quake rocks US-Mexico border
A strong earthquake south of the US-Mexico border swayed high-rise buildings in Los Angeles and San Diego and was felt across Southern California and Arizona.
The 7.2-magnitude quake at 3.40pm local time yesterday (11.40pm Irish time) knocked out power and broke pipes in some areas, but caused no major damage.
It struck in Baja California, Mexico, about 19 miles south east of Mexicali, according to the US Geological Survey.
The area had been hit by magnitude-3.0 quakes all week.
“It’s been quite a while since we’ve had an earthquake this large,” USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said. “The last time we had an earthquake this large in either Baja or California was in 1992 with the Landers Earthquake, which was 7.3.”
The USGS reported three strong aftershocks within the hour, including a magnitude-5.1 jolt in the Imperial County desert east of San Diego. Magnitude-4.5 and magnitude-4.3 aftershocks were also reported.
The 7.2-magnitude quake was felt as far north as Santa Barbara, USGS seismologist Susan Potter said.
Strong shaking was reported in the Coachella Valley and Riverside. The earthquake rattled buildings on the west side of Los Angeles and in the San Fernando Valley, interrupting Easter dinners. Chandeliers swayed and wine jiggled in glasses.
In San Diego, there were reports of shattered windows, broken pipes and water main breaks in private buildings, but no reports of injuries, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque said.
Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed by the California Highway Patrol as a precaution.
In Los Angeles, water sloshed out of residents’ swimming pools, the city fire brigade went on “earthquake status” and some stalled lifts were reported. No major damage was reported in Los Angeles or San Diego.
One woman called firefighters and said she was stuck in a lift descending from the 34th floor in a building in Century City, but there was no way to immediately know if the breakdown was tied the quake, Los Angeles firefighter Eric Scott said.
“It sounds like it’s felt by at least 20 million people at this point,” Ms Jones said. “Most of Southern California felt this earthquake.”
The quake was felt for about 40 seconds in Tijuana, Mexico, causing buildings to sway and knocking out power in parts of the city. Families celebrating Easter ran out of the homes, with children screaming and crying.
Baja California state civil protection director Alfredo Escobedo said there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
In the Phoenix, Arizona, area Jacqueline Land said her king-sized bed in her second-floor apartment felt like a boat gently swaying on the ocean.
“I thought to myself, ’That can’t be an earthquake. I’m in Arizona’,” the Northern California native said.
Mike Wong, who works at a journalism school in Phoenix, said he was in his second-floor office when he heard sounds and felt the building start to sway.
“I heard some cracking sounds, like Rice Krispies,” coming from the building, he said. “I didn’t think much of it, but I kept hearing it, and then I started feeling a shake. I thought, ’You know what? I think that might be an earthquake’.”
