7.1-Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Southern California

San Francisco: A massive earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale hit Southern California, swaying buildings, cracking foundations and forcing panicked residents to sleep on the streets a day after a 6.4-magnitude temblor hit the US state. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the latest quake occurred at a depth of 0.9 km at 8.33 p.m. (local time) on Friday. It was the strongest quake to have hit Southern California in 20 years since another magnitude 7.1 quake dubbed “Hector Mine” struck in 1999. It struck 11 miles northeast of Ridgecrest and was five times bigger than Thursday’s earthquake, also centred near Ridgecrest. In Ridgecrest, multiple fires broke out and several injuries were reported, according to Kern County spokeswoman Megan Person. The county has activated an emergency operations centre and nearly 2,000 people are without power, officials said, according to US media reports. (IANS)

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