The 7.2-magnitude quake centered just south of the US border near Mexicali was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit region in decades.
“It sounds like it’s felt by at least 20 million people,” USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said. “Most of Southern California felt this earthquake.”
Sunday afternoon’s earthquake hit hardest in Mexicali, a bustling commerce center along Mexico’s border with California, where authorities said the quake was followed by many smaller aftershocks, including five with magnitudes between 5.0 and 5.4. The initial quake had a shallow depth of 10 kilometers.
“It has not stopped trembling in Mexicali,” said Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo.
Escobedo said one man was killed when his home collapsed just outside of Mexicali and another died when he into the street in panic and was struck by a car. At least 100 people were injured in the city, most of them struck by falling objects. Power was out in virtually the entire city and the blackout was expected to last well into Tuesday, Escobedo said.
Scientists said the main earthquake probably occurred on a fault that hadn’t produced a major temblor in over a century. Preliminary data suggest the quake occurred on the Laguna Salada fault, which last unleashed a similar-sized quake was in 1892. Since then, it has sparked some magnitude-5 temblors.
US Geological Survey seismologist Erik Pounders described the area as a “chaotic” system of faults that needed more research.
In Calexico, California, a city of 27,000 right across the border from Mexicali, the city council declared a state of emergency amid growing reports of damage. Law enforcement vehicles guarded downtown streets, where windows were shattered and bricks and plaster had fallen from some buildings.
Strong shaking was reported across much of Southern California. The earthquake rattled buildings on the west side of Los Angeles and in the San Fernando Valley, interrupting Easter dinners. Some stalled elevators were reported and water sloshed out of swimming pools.
More than 160 kilometers west of the epicenter, San Diego’s Sheraton Hotel and Marina was briefly evacuated after minor cracks were discovered in its floors, said Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque. All guests were later allowed to return.
The main quake was even felt hundreds of miles away in Phoenix, Arizona a rarity for residents there.
