Asia-Pacific
Strong quake kills 2 in Mexico, rattles US
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-04-05 15:00
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 An "open" sign hangs precariously behind a shattered glass window at a shoe store in downtown Calexico, California, following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, April 4, 2010. [Agencies] |
TIJUANA, Mexico: A powerful earthquake swayed buildings from Los Angeles to Tijuana, killing two people in Mexico, blacking out cities, forcing the evacuation of hospitals and nursing homes, and prompting an Arizona border town to shut down its downtown area.
The 7.2-magnitude quake centered just south of the US border near Mexicali was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit region in decades.
"It sounds like it's felt by at least 20 million people at this point," USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said. "Most of Southern California felt this earthquake."
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"It has not stopped trembling in Mexicali," said Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo.
Escobedo said a man was killed when his home collapsed just outside of Mexicali. He said a second man died when he panicked as the ground shook, ran into the street and was struck by a car.
At least 100 people were injured, most of them struck by falling objects. Power was out in virtually the entire city and the blackout was expected to last at least 14 hours, Escobedo said.
All 300 patients had to be evacuated from the Mexicali General Hospital to private clinics because the building had no electricity or water. But the emergency generators powering the private clinics might not last long and authorities might have to move patients to hospitals outside the city, he said.
The parking garage at Mexicali's city hall also collapsed, Escobedo said, but no one there was hurt.
There were growing reports of damage just across the border from Mexicali in Calexico, Arizona, a city of about 27,000. The Calexico City Council met and declared a state of emergency. There were no reports of injuries.
Law enforcement vehicles guarded downtown streets in Calexico, where windows were shattered and bricks and plaster had fallen from some buildings.
Calexico police Lt. Gonzalo Gerardo said most of the damage occurred in the city's downtown where buildings that were constructed in the 1930s and '40s and not retrofitted for an earthquake of this magnitude.
"Downtown is going to remain closed until further notice. I honestly doubt that it will reopen soon," he said. "You've got a lot of cracks. You've got a lot of broken glass. It's unsafe for people to go there."
The southeast portion of the city lost electricity for about four hours.
Rosendo Garcia, 44, said he was driving his daughter home from work when the quake struck.
"It felt like I was in a canoe in the middle of the ocean," he said.
He said homes in his trailer park were seriously damaged, including one that was knocked off its foundation.
The Fire Department responded to several calls to transport sick and elderly people to hospitals because of power outages and gas problems. A senior living center built in the early 1900s was evacuated and the people were moved to a shelter by the American Red Cross.
Lights shattered, ceiling tiles fell and shelves collapsed at a Subway sandwich restaurant in Calexico, said manager Rosie Arellano.
"Everything is shut down, the whole town," Arellano said. "All the stop lights and the street lights are out. We have no power."
