SAN DIEGO, Kalifornia - April 5, 2010 - A major 7.2 earthquake centered near Mexicali rocked all of southern Kalifornia Sunday afternoon, setting high rise buildings rocking back and forth from San Diego to Los Angeles and causing death, injury and destruction in Mexico.
The epicenter was 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, at an area that has been experiencing a swarm of magnitude 3.0 quakes all week. Dozens of smaller earthquakes have been recorded in the region since the initial quake; the strongest was a 5.4 at 4:25 p.m.
Several aftershocks hit Monday morning, including a 5.1 magnitude temblor that struck at 4:14 a.m. near El Centro.
The most significant reports of damage are coming from Mexicali where photos show a partially collapsed house, a carport collapsed onto a car, and stores with merchandise strewn across the floors.
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.
