6.5-magnitude quake hits off north California, no reports of damage

San Francisco: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 was reported off the coast of Northern California on Thursday but there were no immediate reports of damage in the nearest town, officials said. The quake was centred in the Pacific Ocean about 165 km west of Ferndale, California, at a depth of 10 km, the US Geological Survey said. The coastal area nearest the quake is sparsely populated. There was no tsunami warning, advisory or threat in effect following the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Weather Service said on its website. In Ferndale, which has a population of about 1,300 people, Mayor Don Hindley said in a phone interview that he had not heard of any damage from the quake. He said he felt the temblor for 15 seconds. It was also felt at least as far away as the San Francisco Bay area, about 400 km south of Ferndale.

MYANMAR