Damage Little in Mexicali Quake

More than 100 aftershocks were registered Saturday from the quake which rocked the Mexican border town of Mexicali and communities just north of the border Friday night. Downed telephone lines in El Centro and broken windows near the epicenter were the only reported damage.

The initial quake, which struck at 7:45, registered 5.6 on the Richter scale, said Robert Finn, a spokesman for the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The epicenter was about 20 miles southeast of Mexicali.

The largest aftershock struck at 2:25 a.m. Saturday and registered 4.4., Finn said, and the next largest was at 1:59 a.m., with a 4.3 reading.

Calexico Police Sgt. Paul Bugarin said Mexicali police have not requested their assistance and it was his understanding there were no injuries and minimal damage from the quake. Calexico is about 3 miles from Mexicali on the U.S. side of the border.

“We haven’t gotten any request for help from Mexicali police and have received word that the only damage was some broken windows near where the quake was centered,” Bugarin said.

El Centro Police Department dispatcher Sheryl Ferguson said phone service throughout the city was out for about half an hour after the initial quake but no other damage or injuries were reported.