California 'dodges bullet' as 5.4 earthquake rocks region

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, spooking millions from Los Angeles to San Diego in a juddering reminder of the region's vulnerability to seismic shocks.

No major injuries or damage were reported following the quake, which struck at 11:42 am (1842 GMT) near the town of Chino Hills, 33 miles (50 kilometers) east of Los Angeles at a depth of 7.6 miles (12 kilometers), the US Geological Survey said.

The tremor was felt across Los Angeles, with the office block housing AFP's bureau on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood swaying and shuddering after the quake. Offices and restaurants could be seen evacuating workers and customers.

The quake, which was followed by 27 minor aftershocks, rippled across California and Nevada, rattling city officials in San Diego, tourists in Disneyland and residents as far east as Las Vegas, officials said.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the region had been lucky to avoid a major disaster.

"Thank God that there have not been any reports of serious injuries or damage to properties," Schwarzenegger said. "This reminds us once again that in California we have to be prepared for anything and everything."

Henry Renteria, the director of California's Office of Emergency Services, said he expected to receive reports of minor damage as the day progressed.

"But luckily, I think we dodged a bullet here, and have not seen any major issues with this event," Renteria told reporters.

USGS official Kate Hutton said the earthquake was unlikely to have caused major damage to buildings. "Things will have fallen off shelves, but I'd be surprised to see some structural damage," Hutton told reporters.

Hutton said the chance of the quake being a foreshock to a bigger temblor were five percent. "Most of that risk is in the first day," she said. "Actually, most of the risk is in the first two hours, but by the time you get 24 hours after the earthquake it's down to about one percent."

Los Angeles' acting mayor Wendy Greuel said five people suffered minor injuries, including two people who were trampled as they evacuated a building.

Officials at Los Angeles International Airport said that after initial inspections, operations at the facility were running as normal and that no flight schedules had been affected.

Emergency services near the epicenter of the quake in Chino Hills confirmed they had received no reports of injuries or damage.

"We felt the shock and our crews began patrolling the area for damage," said Chino Valley Fire District captain Jeremy Ault. "Our reports say there is no major structural damage or injuries."

An AFP journalist at a supermarket in Chino, near Chino Hills, reported a "sharp jolt" followed by shaking. "Shampoo bottles fell off the shelves," he said.

Other eyewitnesses reported buildings appearing to buckle.

Jerome Howard, a resident of Anaheim Hills, south of Los Angeles, told CNN he felt his house "twist." "I was sitting in my garage in a chair working on the computer. All of a sudden I felt my garage twisting," Howard said.

Michelle Van Der Linden, Chino city information officer, told CNN only "very, very minor" damage had been reported in the town.

Margarita Melo, a 29-year-old office worker in Ontario, said the quake had made her feel sick. "It made me nauseous. Everything was spinning. I kept thinking, 'When is it going to end?'"

Phone services were "maxed out" in the immediate aftermath of the quake, the California Office of Emergency Services said, as people scrambled to phone friends and family.

Geologists say an earthquake capable of causing widespread destruction is 99 percent certain of hitting California within the next 30 years.

A study published earlier this year said a 7.8 magnitude quake could kill 1,800 people, injure 50,000 more and damage 300,000 buildings.

"Today's reminder is that the big quake is yet to come. It's going 7.9 to 8.1 on the San Andreas Fault in the next decade," Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith told reporters.

A 6.7 earthquake in Los Angeles in 1994 left at least 60 people dead and did an estimated 10 billion dollars damage while a 6.9 quake in San Francisco in 1989 claimed the lives of 67 people.