Deadly California earthquake leaves thousands without power

Two people have died and tens of thousands of households left without power after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake rocked northern California.

The tremor has caused widespread damage to roadways and has spawned scores of aftershocks.

“Anything that was on the walls broke off the walls,” said JB Mathers, a resident of the coastal city of Eureka.

Authorities have closed several roads and warned the public to brace for aftershocks.

The quake was recorded 215 miles (350km) north of San Francisco at 02:34 PST (10:34 GMT) on Tuesday.

It sparked up to 80 smaller quakes between magnitude 4.6 and 2.5, according to the US Geological Survey.

Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said that 11 people were also injured, in addition to the two that died.

The tremor ruptured gas lines, causing leaks. One building caught fire and was quickly extinguished, while two other buildings collapsed.

By noon local time, power was still out for 69,000 customers, according to tracker Poweroutages.us.

The sheriff’s office had said earlier said that no tsunami was expected after the quake, which occurred around two miles offshore.

Authorities are still assessing damage. Utility crews say they could take days to restore power in the remote, heavily forested area.

The California Highway Patrol has closed the Fernbridge, a 1,320ft (400m) concrete arch bridge that crosses the Eel River, after discovering cracks in four places, according to CBS, the BBC’s partner in the US.

In the city of Fortuna, power was out and shattered glass littered the pavement.

On Saturday, a smaller 3.6 magnitude earthquake struck the San Francisco region, waking up thousands of people in the early hours and causing minor damage to infrastructure.