A huge 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern California early Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The “notable” quake struck around seven miles west-southwest of Ferndale, a town of about 15,000 people 261 miles north of San Francisco, the USGS said at 5:45 a.m., which was 2:45 a.m. local time.
It set off the agency’s early-earning “shake alert,” but was initially not expected to create a damaging tsunami in the area, the National Weather Service said.
There were no initial reports of widespread damage, but locals tweeted images of the aftermath, with more than 58,000 people losing power in the area, including Eureka and Fortuna.
“That was a big one,” Caroline Titus, a former editor of a Ferndale newspaper, tweeted along with video of toppled items strewn around the floor of her home. “Home is a mess,” she said.
At least 13 aftershocks were reported within 45 minutes after the initial 6.4 quake, the USGS said.
