Earthquake rocks western Mexico
Earthquake rocks western Mexico
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2010/04/106.jpg
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake has hit the Mexican peninsula of Baja California, killing at least one person and causing tremors as far away as Nevada.
The quake struck at 1540 (2240 GMT), 26km (16 miles) south-west of Guadalupe Victoria in Baja California, at a depth of 32km, said the US Geological Survey.
Mexican media report that a number of people are still trapped in their homes in the town of Mexicali.
It was the worst quake to hit the region for many years, officials said.
The US Geological Survey said some 20 million people felt tremors from the largest quake to hit the area since 1992.
Bridge checks
Mexican civil protection officials said a man had died when his home collapsed outside Mexicali, near the earthquake's epicentre.
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2010/04/107.jpg There was some structural damage in the town of Mexicali
Rescue teams with digging equipment and sniffer dogs have been despatched to the worst-affected areas of Mexicali from the nearby city of Tijuana.
The quake caused buildings to sway in Tijuana, where Easter celebrations were interrupted as families rushed for open ground.
Some parts of Baja California had seen power cuts, officials said.
The BBC's Peter Bowes in Los Angeles says the shaking lasted for about a minute and US firefighters were called out to inspect roads, bridges and power-lines.
The LA Fire Department had also responded to a number of automatic alarms and people being stuck in lifts, reports said.
Rides were temporarily suspended at the Disneyland theme park in California.
Many readers who contacted the BBC spoke of the "surreal" swaying of buildings for up to a minute, although Steve Rider from Palm Springs in California said it was "the most powerful earthquake I have ever felt".
Kyle Stockburger, in Los Angeles, said: "Everyone stopped talking in the restaurant and the overhead lights started swaying back and forth. It wasn't violent, just unreal. It felt like the whole earth was swaying."
YouTube - Mexico 7.2 Earthquake shakes L.A (April 2010)
