The largest earthquake in two decades jolted Southern California, shaking communities from Las Vegas to Long Beach.
The quake, with a magnitude of 6.4, striking at 1033 hrs (local time) on Thursday, was centered near Ridgecrest, a community west of the Mojave Desert and about 150 miles north of Los Angeles.
Authorities said there were no immediate reports of deaths, serious injuries or major infrastructure damage, though emergency responders were still inspecting areas around the city of Ridgecrest.
Patients at Ridgecrest Regional Hospital were evacuated “out of an abundance of caution,” hospital Chief Executive James Suver said.
About 20 patients were transferred to other facilities while seismic engineers inspected broken pipes in the facility. “For true emergencies, we will stabilise them and then get them to the right level of care,” he said.
