6.4-magnitude earthquake hits Southern California

A strong earthquake struck a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday, rattling nerves on the July 4th holiday and causing some damage in a town near the epicenter amid a swarm of ongoing aftershocks.

Los Angeles:An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale jolted the US state of California on Thursday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The epicentre, with a depth of 8.68 km, was initially determined to be at 35.70 degrees north latitude and 117.51 degrees west longitude.

The quake was felt across the Los Angeles region on Thursday morning, 272 km south of the epicentre.

Many local residents tweeted that they felt the shakes and steady sways which lasted for almost 30 seconds but not so strong like in 1994. So far, there is no report of casualties.

It is the strongest quake to hit the region in 20 years.

"At this time, the LAPD has not received any reports of damage or calls for service within the City of Los Angeles related to the #earthquake. Remember, 911 is only to report emergencies. This was a strong one, and a good reminder to be prepared," the Los Angeles Police Department tweeted about half hour after the major earthquake.

Fire broke out at five places including at a home in Ridgecrest following the quake.