In California, two earthquakes scare in a few hours

US authorities confirmed that the 7.1 magnitude earthquake recorded in California this Saturday caused no serious injury or property damage, according to the first badessment provided by Ridgecrest Police Chief Jed McLaughlin.

The mayor of the city, the closest to the epicenter of the earthquake, Peggy Breeden, however said that all the relief units were put on alert.

"We have had fires, gas leaks, minor injuries and power cuts, and we are doing it in the best possible way," he said at a press conference organized by NBC.

The quake continued with at least 16 aftershocks of magnitude 4 or greater, as reported by the US Geological Survey, suggesting a greater than 50% chance of a new earthquake of magnitude greater than 6 in the coming days.

For his part, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said public security units are being deployed throughout the city "to provide security and study infrastructure".

The earthquake occurred after Thursday, there was another earthquake of magnitude 6.4 in the same area as felt from Las Vegas to Long Beach.

Several aftershocks have rocked the Southern California region since the Independence Day earthquake. The earthquake caused few injuries on Thursday, but two houses caught fire after their pipeline broke, officials said.

The July 4 earthquake was one of the largest in southern California since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which killed 57 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.