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Baja quake: Main road connecting Tijuana and Mexicali is heavily damaged

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The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck on Easter Sunday near the northern Mexican city of Mexicali has killed two people, according to reports, and produced more than 100 aftershocks in less than 15 hours. The quake hit at 3:40 p.m. local time, centered in the wine-producing town of Guadalupe Victoria, 30 miles south of Mexicali. It was felt strongly in Los Angeles, more than 200 miles away, as the quake moved from southeast to northwest, seismologists said.

Local authorities are reporting damage in Mexicali to hospitals, roads, and water and telephone services. The Baja daily El Mexicano says ‘thousands of Mexicalenses slept outside their homes’ on Sunday night out of fear of aftershocks. The main road connecting Tijuana and Mexicali was heavily damaged, as seen above, reports Frontera.

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The Times notes:

It was the third major quake in the Western Hemisphere in the last three months: In addition to the Haiti disaster, in which more than 200,000 people were killed, central and southern Chile were hit by one of the most powerful seismic events in history when an 8.8 quake struck on Feb. 27, killing about 700 people.

Mexicali’s twin U.S. city of Calexico suffered some damage in its old center, reports the Imperial Valley Press, but no deaths or serious injuries. The northbound border crossing between Calexico and Mexicali remained closed Monday, reports The Times’ Tony Perry, who is in the affected region.

-- Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City.

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