This was the largest quake to hit Southern California since 1999.
Representational image (Photo: IStock)
A massive 6.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the South California area of Searles Valley on Thursday.
The quake struck near the city of Ridgecrest which is located about 160 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
According to authorities, there were some injuries reported in Ridgecrest, but the extent is currently unclear.
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“No deaths were reported and the hospital in Ridgecrest is not dealing with any earthquake-related injuries,” a California official said.
Officials also discovered cracks on roads across the city, but the California Highway Patrol said, overpasses and underpasses were OK.
The nearest city rocked by the tremor is Ridgecrest, which has a population of 28,000 and is located about 18 km southwest of the epicentre and 250 km northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
The quake was felt across the Los Angeles region.
Ridgecrest Mayor Peggy Breeden declared a state of emergency.
She said, “Crews were responding to at least five fires across the city and that crews were assessing broken gas lines.”
US President Donald Trump also tweeted, “Been fully briefed on earthquake in Southern California. All seems to be very much under control”.
Many local residents tweeted that they felt the shakes and steady sways which lasted for almost 30 seconds.
Researches predicted that it could generate a large-scale earthquake in southern California.
Dozens of aftershocks were recorded by the USGS near Searles Valley.
This was the largest quake to hit Southern California since 1999.
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