Shaking up San Diego
A strong earthquake south of the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday swayed high-rises in downtown Los Angeles and San Diego and was felt across Southern California and Arizona, but there have been no immediate reports of major damage.
The 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck at 3:40 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which said the quake was centered in Baja California, about 108 miles east-southeast of Tijuana and about 19 miles southeast of Mexicali. The USGS originally said the quake was a 6.9 but later upgraded that figure. The area was hit by magnitude-3.0 quakes all week.
USGS seismologist Susan Potter said the quake was felt all over the county and as far north as Santa Barbara. It 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.
A series of aftershocks shook the region later in the day, including a magnitude 5.1 at 4:15 p.m. that was centered in Imperial, Calif., and a magniture 5.4 10 minutes later near Guadalupe, Victoria, in Baja California. That quake was about 125 miles from San Diego, and struck near the site of the bigger quake’s epicenter.
Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo said there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. But he said the assessment was ongoing.
Many San Diegans reported items falling off shelves. There were no immediate reports of damage.
“We don’t usually feel earthquakes out here in Santee. I knew that had to be very big somewhere else if this was not the epicenter,” said Nancy A Jefferis.
“Shook the whole house some glasses fell,” tweeted @sandiego_john.
“It was crazy, I thought my house was going to fall down the hill,” tweeted @aaron hatch.
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