A powerful earthquake has rocked California, prompting the governor to declare a state
of emergency.
Reports say it was a 6-point-0 magnitude quake... and has caused considerable damage in the
state′s wine country.
Shin Se-min reports.
The strongest quake to hit California in a quarter century saw scores of people hospitalized,
caused houses to burst into flames,... and damaged scores of buildings in California′s
Napa Valley.
A 6-point-oh magnitude earthquake rocked California′s wine country at around 3:20am on Sunday, local
time, with the epicenter less than 10 kilometers southwest of Napa.
The earthquake was felt over a huge portion of California,... in San Francisco, but the
most powerful tremors were recorded in Napa and Sonoma County.
More than 30 aftershocks followed the quake,... according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Officials at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa say at least six people have been
critically injured with 120 less seriously hurt.
California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency,... and said state officials
were working closely with state and local emergency managers, first responders and transportation
officials.
California is not a safezone when it come to earthquakes,... as it sits right above
the Pacific′s "Ring of Fire," where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur often.
In 1906, San Francisco was struck by 7-point-8 magnitude quake that killed over 3-thousand
people and destroyed 80-percent of the city.
In 1989, another powerful quake hit in a similar area,... killing more than 60 and injuring
hundreds.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.