Quake Shakes Mexico And Southern California
 

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At least two people have been killed and many are reportedly trapped in their homes after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Mexico.

The quake, centered in Baja California, was also one of the strongest to hit Southern California in decades, shaking buildings from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

It struck at 3:40pm local time (11.40pm BST), some 16 miles southwest of Guadalupe Victoria at a depth of 20 miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

Three aftershocks followed within the hour.

USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said: "Most of Southern California felt this earthquake."

Baja California state civil protection director Alfredo Escobedo said a man was killed when his home collapsed just outside the town of Mexicali, and that there were reports of more people trapped in homes in the area.
Police Lieutenant Gonzalo Gerardo said: "The number one thing is public safety, with continued aftershocks.

"If these buildings come down, people can get hurt. The second thing is looting."

Rescue teams with dogs and digging equipment are rushing to the city from nearby Tijuana.

There was substantial damage on the other side of the border in Calexico, California.

Fire chief Peter Mercado said there was structural damage and broken windows in an older section of town, as well as leaking gas lines and damage to the water system, but that no one was hurt.

There have also been scattered reports of lifts becoming stuck.

Hotel worker Benito Rodriquez told Sky News: "Everything was shaking. The mirrors were moving - I was hoping they would not break."

"I'm shaking like a leaf... the pool water was just going everywhere," said Jean Nelson in Indio, California, near Palm Springs.


SKY


Is it just me or do quakes seem to be coming more commonplace at the moment in a few countries?