Many injured as massive quake rocks California, triggers blaze
CALIFORNIA, July 6, 2019
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 has jolted Southern California, but there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries, according to local media reports.
The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at 8:19 p.m. Friday and was centered 11 miles from Ridgecrest, where a magnitude 6.4 quake struck on Thursday.
The magnitude 7.1 quake was felt from Los Angeles and all the way to Nevada. It caused injuries, sparked fires and closed roadways.
The quake was felt downtown as a rolling motion that seemed to last at least a half-minute. It was felt as far away as Las Vegas, and the USGS says it also was felt in Mexico, reported AP.
Experts described it as California's largest earthquake in years. Meanwhile Southern California was bracing for more aftershocks.
Social media showed a roller coaster on the Las Vegas strip swaying from the shockwaves as passengers made their way to the top of a 180-foot drop.
Convenience store owner Tony Abdullatif had just finished cleaning up his convenience store in Ridgecrest when his store was thrown into chaos yet again by a violent earthquake.
"I would say it's like three or four times [worse] than yesterday," Abdullatif said.
The quake rattled Dodger Stadium while the home team took on the San Diego Padres. Journalists at CBS Los Angeles were caught off-guard once again by the shaking. Only this time, they were live on the air.
From Northern California to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, where college basketball phenom Zion Williamson made his professional debut in the NBA Summer League. Officials were forced to postpone the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the New York Knicks, reported CBS News.
Seismologist Lucy Jones said there have been numerous aftershocks since a 6.4 magnitude quake rattled the same region on Independence Day.
That tremor is now considered a foreshock to the much larger quake Friday night. If the 7.1 measurement sticks, it would be the largest earthquake to shake the region in two decades.
