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California earthquake – News anchors dive for cover as 7.1- magnitude quake hits
ASTONISHING footage shows a pair of news anchors reacting with horror as their studio is rocked by a 7.1 earthquake in California.
The two journalists are shown reacting live on air to the huge shaker which struck two days after a 6.4 tremor buckled roads and damaged buildings.
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California earthquake causes fire and damage to businesses
In the clip, the female news reader says: "If you'll give us a brief moment here, we're making sure that nothing is going to come down in the studio here."
Her male colleague then replies: "And it is going for quite a bit everybody. It continues to rattle pretty strong here."
The pair then get under the desk while throwing to a commercial break.
According to the US Geological Survey, the massive tremor was focused 11 miles from Ridgecrest, a Mojave Desert town 150 miles from Los Angeles.
Celebrities including Kylie Jenner and Nicki Minaj were left shaken after the earthquake, which hit the same spot that a 6.4-scale tremor struck on Independence Day two days ago - which buckled roads, sparked fires and damaged homes and businesses.
Reality TV star and cosmetics mogul Jenner tweeted "These earthquakes" alongside two emojis suggesting she was upset. Minaj commented: "That earthquake was intense."
The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco said her chandelier was shaking, sharing a video to her Instagram story and describing the earthquake as "freaky".
Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson's daughter, said she was concerned for the safety of her dog. She tweeted: "My poor dog was so scared from that earthquake just now. It felt super small from where I'm at but she literally sprinted up the stairs looking for me."
The earthquake hit about 11 miles from the town of Ridgecrest, the same area as Thursday's tremor. However, it was felt as far north as state capital Sacramento, as far east as Las Vegas and as far south as Mexico.
The latest quake - which experts estimate is between 6.9 and 7.1 in strength - is the largest in the region in 20 years.
Terrifying footage posted on social media showed residents running in panic as the tremor struck at around 8:19pm local time on Friday (4:19am Saturday BST).
And fans were sent fleeing from the Staples Centre in LA where a Shawn Mendes pop concert was taking place after speakers began swinging from the roof.
Rows of seats were evacuated after the heavy equipment began swaying overhead.
Disneyland evacuated rides as the park conducted safety checks.
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Fire departments in the region reported multiple injuries and blazes.
A rockslide closed State Route 178 in Kern River Canyon - where photos showed a stretch of roadway that had sunk by several feet.
San Bernardino County firefighters reported cracked buildings and one minor injury.
In downtown Los Angeles, 150 miles away, offices in skyscrapers rolled and rocked for at least 30 seconds.
Andrew Lippman, from South Pasadena, said: "It just started getting stronger and stronger, and I looked into my house and the lamp started to sway.
"I could see power lines swaying.
"This one seemed 45 (seconds)... I'm still straightening pictures."
ONE IN 20 CHANCE
California Governor Gavin Newsom activated the state Office of Emergency Services operations centre "to its highest level."
He said: "The state is coordinating mutual aid to local first responders."
Lucy Jones, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology said there was a one in 20 chance of a bigger quake striking after Thursday's tremor.
She tweeted: "You know we say we have a 1 in 20 chance that an earthquake will be followed by something bigger? This is that 1 in 20 time."
Hours earlier, seismologists had said that Thursday's quake had been followed by more than 1,700 aftershocks - and that they might continue for years.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Firefighters around Southern California were mobilised to check for damage.
Thousands flocked to social media to upload dramatic clips and photos.
Many show lights swaying violently and supermarket produce strewn over shop floors.
TV cameras filming the LA Dodgers playing local rivals the San Diego Padres captured the moment the quake hit.
Players were seen continuing the game despite the intensity of the tremor.
On shaky ground: Why is California so prone to earthquakes?
EARTHQUAKES are common in California because it lies on the San Andreas Fault.
The San Andreas Fault extends roughly 800 miles through the US state.
Faults are areas where two tectonic plates come together.
It forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate — two subterranean masses that form the bases of the Pacific Ocean and the North American continent.
The fault divides into three segments, each with different characteristics and a different degree of earthquake risk, the most significant being the southern segment, which passes within about 35 miles of Los Angeles.
Spectator Daniel Earle, 52, who was watching the game with his wife, said: "Everyone was jumping over us to leave."
He added: "People were freaking out.
"My wife was holding us, like squeezing.
"I'm surprised my arm is still here, she was squeezing into it so hard."
The quake was also felt about 200 miles south east of the epicentre in Las Vegas.
Basketball fans there rushed to the exits as the tremor hit the Thomas & Mack Center during a game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the New York Knicks.
The USGS says it also was felt in Mexico.
MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS
Thursday's 6.4-magnitude quake - then the strongest to hit the region in 20 years - was reported near Searles Valley, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Buildings were rocked and some roads were left badly damaged as the quake triggered dozens of emergency calls.
The town of Ridgecrest - 11 miles from the epicentre - saw some building fires break out as it suffered the worst of the damage.
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