Earthquakes Hit Baja California

A moderate earthquake rocked Baja California in Mexico, shutting down factories near the U.S. border and leaving about 400,000 people without power, authorities said Saturday. No major damage or injuries were immediately reported.

The quake that struck around 11:15 p.m. Friday had a preliminary magnitude of 5.4, said Jessica Sigala, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado. It was centered 16 miles southeast of the border town of Mexicali and about 100 miles east of Tijuana.

"It has been felt pretty widely in Southern California, southwestern Arizona and probably northern Mexico," Sigala said.

It was followed by at least 15 aftershocks, including four with preliminary magnitudes of 3.8, 3.6, 3.5 and 3.0.

The quake left about 400,000 people without electricity and 1.2 million without cellular telephone service, said Fire Capt. Rene Rosado, director of civil defense in Mexicali.

No major damage or injuries are reported, but about 400,000 people have lost power.

The 5.4 magnitude quake hit late Friday night about 100 miles east of Tijuana and was followed by at least 15 aftershocks. A scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado said it was also felt in Southern California and southwestern Arizona.

In addition to the hundreds of thousands of people without power, more than 1 million people have lost cell-phone service.