San diego, December 31: Authorities say hospitals were briefly evacuated in the Mexican border city of Mexicali after a magnitude-5.8 earthquake. There are no reports of injuries or major property damage.
Rene Rosado, the city’s director of civil defense, says the mayor closed all city government offices after the quake struck Wednesday morning. Five hospitals were briefly emptied, 90,000 customers lost electricity for 14 minutes, and cell phone service failed for 20 minutes.
The quake was felt across the region and caused buildings to sway in San Diego, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Mexicali.
Rosado says police and fire crews are surveying the sprawling industrial city of 750,000 people for possible property damage.
–Agencies