Mexicali gradually returning to normal after earthquake, Mexican officials say
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Normal routines gradually returned Monday to the border city of Mexicali, Mexico, hit hard Easter Sunday by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake felt as far away as Los Angeles and Phoenix, Mexican authorities said.“Little by little, things are coming back to normal,” said Alejandro Contreras, a spokesman for the state government in Mexicali, a sprawling municipality of almost 1 million situated about 125 miles east of San Diego. “People are nervous, of course, but we are calling for calm and working to restore services.”
The quake left two dead and about 230 injured, none seriously, said Jorge Sanchez Rendon, another government spokesman. Most of the injured had scratches and bruises, he said.
The northbound border into Calexico, Calif., from Mexicali, Mexico, remained closed to automobile traffic Monday morning because of concerns about damage to the U.S. federal building, but people were allowed to walk through checkpoints into the U.S. as aftershocks rattled the region.
Authorities reported a total of 45 collapsed or partially collapsed buildings in Baja California.