Deadly 7.2 Magnutude Earthquake in Mexicali

TIJUANA, Mexico

- A powerful earthquake rocked buildings from Los Angeles to Tijuana, killing 2 people in Mexico, blacking out many cities, forcing the evac. of hospitals and nursing homes, and prompting a California  town to shut down its downtown area.

The 7.2-magnitude earthquake epicentered just south of the U.S. border near Mexicali was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit region in years.

Sunday afternoon’s earthquake was felt the hardest in Mexicali, a bustling commerce center along Mexico’s border with California, where authorities said the quake was followed by at least 20 smaller aftershocks, including three of magnitudes 5.1, 4.5 and 4.3. The initial quake had a shallow depth of 6 miles.

 A powerful earthquake struck Sunday afternoon, swaying buildings from Los Angeles to Tijuana, killing two people in Mexico, blacking out cities, forcing the evacuation of hospitals and nursing homes, and prompting a California border town to shut down its downtown area.

At least 100’s of people were injured, most of them struck by falling objects. Power was out in virtually the entire city and the blackout was expected to last at least 14 hours.

All 300 patients had to be evacuated from the Mexicali General Hospital to private clinics because the building had no electricity or water. But the emergency generators powering the private clinics might not last long and authorities might have to move patients to hospitals outside the city, he said.

There were growing reports of damage just across the border from Mexicali in Calexico, California, a city of about 27,000. The Calexico City Council met and declared a state of emergency. There were no reports of injuries.

Law enforcement vehicles guarded downtown streets in Calexico, where windows were shattered and bricks and plaster had fallen from some buildings.

Calexico police Lt. Gonzalo Gerardo said most of the damage occurred in the city’s downtown where buildings that were constructed in the 1930s and ’40s and not retrofitted for an earthquake of this magnitude.

“Downtown is going to remain closed until further notice. I honestly doubt that it will reopen soon,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of cracks. You’ve got a lot of broken glass. It’s unsafe for people to go there.”

The southeast portion of the city lost electricity for about four hours.

Rosendo Garcia, 44, said he was driving his daughter home from work when the quake struck.

“It felt like I was in a canoe in the middle of the ocean,” he said.