A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck Southern California near the city of Ridgecrest, about 113 miles (175km) northeast of Los Angeles, the US Geological Survey said on Thursday. According to European quake agency EMSC, the quake was felt in an area inhabited by some 20 million people. The epicentre was very close to Ridgecrest, a town with a population of more than 27,600 in the high desert. A magnitude 6.4 quake is considered strong and is capable of causing severe damage. Thursday’s quake is the largest in Southern California since 1994 magnitude 6.6 Northridge earthquake, which was centered in a heavily populated area of Los Angeles and caused billions of dollars of damage.

Source: Pakistan Today July 04, 2019 19:30 UTC