FERNDALE — A large earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 jolted the Northern California coastline near Eureka on Tuesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, a shaker that caused structural damage, power outages and some injuries.
The earthquake occurred around 2:34 a.m. on Tuesday with the epicenter reported to be just offshore of Humboldt County in California.
“Due to a large earthquake, widespread damage to roads and homes are reported throughout Humboldt County,” the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office stated in a tweet.
Besides Eureka, the towns of Ferndale and Fortuna are nearby, based on the epicenter reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. The popular Humboldt Redwoods State Park is also in the vicinity.
“Over 70,000 customers are without power as of 5:45 a.m.,” the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services stated on its Facebook page.
The county agency wasn’t sure when power would be fully restored.
“Two injuries have been confirmed,” emergency services officials said.
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Residents and journalists in the region were reporting scattered gas leaks around the region, and property damage ranging from collapsed structures in rural areas to felled shelves and other home fixtures.
“Widespread damage has been reported to roads and homes, particularly in the Eel River Valley,” the county Office of Emergency Services stated.
A swarm of aftershocks that included a 4.6 magnitude shaker in the town of Rio Dell several miles inland from the coast also rumbled through Humboldt County Tuesday morning.
At least 13 aftershocks were reported by the U.S. Geological Survey within 45 minutes after the initial 6.4 quake. The aftershocks were primarily inland east of the original temblor.
The ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System — which is co-operated by the USGS and covers the West Coast, buzzed smartphones and woke up thousands of Bay Area residents to notify them of the earthquake. The local alert also warned that they might feel some shaking although that did not appear to have materialized.
A tsunami risk was ruled out by the National Weather Service.
“Power is out across the county,” the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office stated at 3:13 a.m. in a post on its Twitter page.
Staff writer Robert Salonga contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
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