One dead, many trapped in 7.2-magnitude Mexico quake

LONDON - An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter Scale hit Mexico’s Baja California area resulting in the death of one person.

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

The quake struck at 3:40 p.m. (23.40 UK time) 16 miles south southwest of Guadalupe Victoria at a depth of 20 miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

Three aftershocks followed within the hour, SKY News reports.

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 of Mexicali, and that there were reports of more people trapped in homes in the area.

Rescue teams with dogs and digging equipment were 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 told KABC-TV of Los Angeles that 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. (ANI)