Los Angeles: A 4.7 magnitude earthquake rattled the Los Angeles area Thursday morning, unleashing boulders onto a Malibu road, visibly shaking Santa Monica's 1909 wooden pier and jolting some people from bed. No injuries or damages were immediately reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was centred 4 miles (7 kilometres) north of Malibu and was about 7 miles (11 kilometres) below the surface. The jolt was felt as far as 45 miles (72 kilometres) away in Orange County, where people reported items moving in their homes.
Officials around the region said authorities were surveying for damage but had not found anything major. Los Angeles County sheriff Lt. Adam Zeko said the quake jolted the area and shook for about 15 or 20 seconds. “We’re still conducting a critical facilities check,” said Zeko, whose station covers the area around Malibu and Westlake Village. “We haven’t gotten anything major at this time.”
A live camera at the 115-year-old Santa Monica Pier, about 12 miles (19 kilometres) from Malibu, showed several seconds of intense shaking during the quake. A crew was working on clearing large boulders that rolled onto Malibu Canyon Road, near the epicentre, KTLA-TV reported.
Malibu Councilmember Bruce Silverstein said he has lived in the community for 13 years and this was the hardest quake yet, but nothing broke. “Our house shook for about two or three seconds. I was concerned the windows were going to pop,” Silverstein said.
Rene Vasquez, manager at The Country Kitchen breakfast place in Malibu, said the shaking lasted a few seconds and kitchen staff ducked outside as a precaution. “It wasn’t that bad,” Vasquez said. “Thank God nothing fell.” People, including several celebrities, took to social media to post they were awakened by a jolt.
Hotel heiress and media personality Paris Hilton wrote on X, “That #Earthquake was scary.” Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian posted: “Damn that was a big one.” Some residents said they were alerted by the state’s earthquake early warning system.
The quake comes as the region has been dealing with three major wildfires burning east of Los Angeles that torched dozens of homes and forced thousands to evacuate. The blazes erupted during a blistering heat wave that had just subsided.
A number of quakes have been felt in the area in recent months, including a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in August that rattled nerves from the Los Angeles area to San Diego, swaying buildings, knocking items off shelves and setting off car alarms. The temblor caused a pipe to burst at the ornate 1927 Pasadena City Hall building.
(With inputs from agency)
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