Update 10:40 p.m.

TIJUANA, Mexico — A civil protection official says the earthquake that jolted Mexico’s Baja California peninsula killed one man whose home collapsed.

Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo says the man’s home collapsed just outside of Mexicali, close to the epicenter of the 7.2-magnitude quake.

Esobedo says there were reports of more people trapped in homes in Mexicali and rescue teams with dogs and digging equipment are rushing to the city from nearby Tijuana.

Damage reports from the U.S.-Mexico border region are growing. The quake was felt from Tijuana and Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Calexico Fire Chief Peter Mercado tells KABC-TV in Los Angeles that there is substantial damage in the older section of the southeastern California city. Mercado says there is structural damage and broken windows, leaking gas lines and damage to the water system. But he says no injuries have been reported.

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8:06 p.m.

LOS ANGELES — Seismologists have raised the preliminary magnitude of an earthquake in northern Baja California from 6.9 to 7.2.

U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones says the new magnitude of the 3:40 p.m. Sunday earthquake is still an estimate.

The quake centered south of California’s border with Mexico was widely felt, swaying buildings as far away as San Diego, Los Angeles and Arizona.

There has been no confirmed damage, but some power outages were reported in southern Arizona and Tijuana, Mexico. Jones says any damage would likely have occurred closer to the epicenter such as in the Mexican city of Mexicali or in U.S. border cities.
 

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6:17 p.m.

LOS ANGELES — A strong earthquake south of the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday swayed high-rises in downtown Los Angeles and San Diego and was felt across Southern California and Arizona, but there were no immediate reports of major damage.

The 6.9 magnitude quake struck at 3:40 p.m. in Baja California, Mexico, about 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The area was hit by magnitude-3.0 quakes all week.

The quake was felt as far north as Santa Barbara, USGS seismologist Susan Potter said.

Strong shaking was reported in the Coachella Valley and Riverside, Calif. The earthquake rattled buildings on the west side of Los Angeles and in the San Fernando Valley, interrupting Easter dinners. Chandeliers swayed and wine jiggled in glasses.

In Los Angeles, the city fire department went on “earthquake status,” and some stalled elevators were reported. No damage was reported in Los Angeles or San Diego.

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The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power says there are no power outages anywhere in the city, spokeswoman Maryanne Pierson said.

The quake was felt for about 40 seconds in Tijuana, Mexico, causing buildings to sway and knocking out power in parts of the city. Families celebrating Easter ran out of the homes, with children screaming and crying.

Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo said there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. But he said the assessment was ongoing.

A police dispatcher in Yuma, Ariz., said the quake was very strong there, but no damage was reported. The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office had gotten a few calls, mostly from alarm companies because of alarms going off.

An earthquake also hit in Northern California Sunday afternoon. The U.S. Geological Survey says a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.0 was recorded at 3:49 p.m. about 25 miles north of Santa Rosa.

A dispatcher with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department said the agency had not received any calls for service after the quake.


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