Strong quake kills 2 in Mexico

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press, Mon, 04/05/2010 1:44 PM

Serious crack: A car passes over a crack on the road at the 30th kilometer of the Mexicali-Tijuana highway made by a 7.2 earthquake in Mexicali, Mexico, Sunday. According to the USGS a 6.9 magnitude eartquake was register 26 km [16 miles] south west from Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico. AP/Guillermo Arias

A powerful earthquake swayed buildings from Los Angeles to Tijuana, killing two people in Mexico, blacking out cities, forcing the evacuation of hospitals and nursing homes, and prompting an Arizona border town to shut down its downtown area.

The 7.2-magnitude quake centered just south of the U.S. border near Mexicali was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit region in decades.

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

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 10 kilometers (6 miles).

"It has not stopped trembling in Mexicali," said Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo.

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