Southern California was rocked by the strongest quake, of 6.4 magnitude in two decades. A shallow quake struck in the vast desert region of the Searles Valley in San Bernardino County about six miles from the town of Ridgecrest at 10.33 am, local time, but was felt 160 miles away in Los Angeles and even as far as Las Vegas in the neighbouring state of Nevada. US President Donald Trump said that the situation in Southern California post the earthquake appeared to be under control
The quake has caused some scattered damage across the state, but no casualties have been reported. It is the largest since the 1999 quake that read a 7.1 on the richter scale and it struck the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps base.
"Been fully briefed on earthquake in Southern California. All seems to be very much under control!" Trump tweeted.
An official at China Lake said there was “substantial damage” to their facilities, including fires, water leaks and spills of hazardous materials. And a hospital damaged by the quake in Ridgecrest was being evacuated. Los Angeles International Airport runways were reported to be unharmed. The city's police, meanwhile, reported on Twitter that they had not “received any reports of damage or calls for service”.
“Been living in Los Angeles all my life,” filmmaker Ava DuVernay wrote on Twitter. “That was the longest earthquake I've ever experienced.”
