13-International Hard or Feature News

 

A strong 7.0 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of northern California, according to the US Geological Survey.

A tsunami warning was initially issued along the coasts of both northern California and southern Oregon which is an area that includes about 4.7 million people. The tsunami warning was later on canceled. 

Tsunami warning cancelled after magnitude 7 earthquake hits California

The earthquake's epicentre hit closest to the town of Ferndale, California, a small city in Humboldt County about 260 miles (418km) north of San Francisco.

Local officials said no deaths or major widespread damage had been reported in the aftermath of the quake, which is one of only nine such 7 magnitude quakes to strike globally this year.

Humboldt County Sheriff's Office told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, there had been no catastrophic destruction to buildings or infrastructure, but some homes did report minor damage. Several stores in the area reported items falling off shelves and power briefly went out for many residents, the sheriff's office said.

More than 10,000 people were without power in Humboldt County after the earthquake struck, according to power outage US. While the earthquake did not cause widespread damage, one resident of Ferndale who spoke to the BBC in the minutes following the quake said the inside of the building she was in "looks like a bomb has gone off in every room". 

Another who witnessed the quake was Todd Dunaway, who was eating lunch in his home in Fortuna, California when the earthquake hit.

"It literally felt like standing on a giant waterbed," he told the BBC. "The noise of rattling windows, creaking walls, falling dishes and decorations added to the drama and scariness of it all as it is happening. Naturally, you can't help wondering as it is happening is this the really big one?'"

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Multiple aftershocks were reported after the initial earthquake, which struck around 10:44 local time (18:44 GMT).