The electrical network was affected and almost 72,000 subscribers are without power
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the northern California coast early Tuesday, causing power outages but no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
The relatively shallow quake struck 40 kilometers southwest of the port city of Eureka in Humboldt County, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
In a preliminary assessment, the USGS said there was a low probability of deaths or injuries, but some damage was possible.
The national tsunami warning center said no tsunami was expected.
The electrical network was affected and almost 72,000 subscribers (72%) were without power in Humboldt County, according to the specialized site poweroutage.us.
“There is no electricity in the whole county. Do not call 911 unless you have an immediate emergency,” the Humboldt Office of Emergency Services said on Twitter.
The USGS reported about a dozen small aftershocks in the area, which is about 400 kilometers northwest of San Francisco.
A road collapsed, blocking access to the town of Fernbridge, tweeted Dania Romero, a reporter for KAEF television.
Photos and videos posted on social media showed broken windows, fallen items in homes and a supermarket aisle littered with scattered produce.
Debris and small rock slides were also reported along a central route from Humboldt County to central California.
California is regularly shaken by earthquakes and experts warn of the possibility of an earthquake capable of causing widespread destruction in the next 30 years.
In 1994, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Northridge, northwest of Los Angeles, killed at least 60 people and caused an estimated $10 billion in damage. Another 6.9 earthquake in San Francisco in 1989 claimed the lives of 67 people.
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