7.2 magnitude quake rocks Mexico-US border

Tijuana, Mexico, Apr 5: A massive earthquake measuring 7.2-magnitude occured near the Mexico-California border, shaking atleast tens of millions of people both the countries on Sunday, Apr 4.

One person was reportedly killed in one of the strongest earthquake to have rocked Southern California in the past decades.

Alfredo Escobedo, director of emergency services in Baja California state, Mexico in news agency report said that the person died when a house in Mexicali collapsed.

He said that several others have been reportedly trapped in elevators and retaining walls in some places have collapsed, adding that several parts of the country are put of electricity.

The area was jolted by a series of aftershocks around the epicentre, 30 miles (50 km) to the southeast of Mexicali and close to the town of Guadalupe Victoria.

The most hit area was Mexical city, a major city along the border United States border.

The earthquake was earlier measured as 6.9 by the US Geological Survey (USGS) which was later increased to 7.2 magnitude, which is expected to cause serious damage to urban areas. The depth of the quake was also raised to 6.2 miles (10 km) from 20 miles.

"It sounds like it"s felt by at least 20 million people at this point. Most of Southern California felt this earthquake," USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said.

Fire and medical dispatch centre in downtown Las Vegas, too experienced the jolt. However, Tim Szymanski, a spokesman for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue said that there has been no reports of damage or injuries.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque said that there were reports of windows being shattered, broken pipes and water main breaks in private buildings. But there has been no reports of casualty or injuries.

As a precuationary measure, Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed by the California Highway Patrol.

Utility officials said powers were restored to most of the 3,000 customers, in southwestern Arizona, and the more than 5,000 in Southern California.

Clint Norred, a spokesman for the Yuma, Arizona, Police Department, said though it was the one of the strongest the quake reported so far, but he"d heard no reports of injuries or major damage.

"In my house, it knocked a couple of things off the wall," he said.