5.0 Quake Shakes Calif.-Mexico Border*

AP

CALEXICO, Calif. - An estimated 5.0-magnitude earthquake centered in
northern Baja California shook the U.S.-Mexico border region about 100
miles east of San Diego on Tuesday.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries or damage, authorities
said. Authorities in Mexico said they were checking for injuries or damage.

The quake, which struck at 2:41 p.m., was centered 21 miles southeast of
Calexico, a U.S. border city of more than 37,000 residents, the U.S.
Geological Survey said.

Calexico resident Enrique Alvarado said he leapt away from a plate-glass
window in his office as the shaking began.

"It was a little scary _ you stand in the doorways," said Alvarado, who
runs a vocational school. "I estimate it went on 25 or 30 seconds, but
it feels like an eternity when you're in it."

The big temblor was followed within minutes by three aftershocks that
ranged in magnitude from 3.1 to 3.7.

"It started off with a little jolt, then a rumble," said Sgt. Mike
Misteriel of the Imperial County Sheriff's Department. The aftershocks
produced a rolling sensation, he said.

Three other quakes with magnitudes of 5.4, 5.1 and 5.0 have rattled the
area in the past two weeks, causing blackouts and temporarily knocking
out cell phone service.