The first casualty of the Fourth of July 6.4-magnitude earthquake at Ridgecrest, California, has been reported after a 56-year-old man from Pahrump, Nevada, was found squashed under his jeep.
Deputies of Nye County responded to the man’s home near East Fort Churchill Road and Becky Lane in Pahrump on Tuesday, July 9, at 1 pm and found his body on his property pinned under his Jeep.
The man had last been seen alive on July 3 at a local gas station, and was reported missing shortly after the earthquake, Sgt. Adam Tippetts said in a video statement.
It was the strongest earthquake to hit Southern California in 20 years. It was followed by hundreds of aftershocks and an even a stronger 7.1-magnitude earthquake the next day.
“The vehicle the man was pinned under had been jacked up safely and based on the positioning of the body and the tools found on the scene, the male appeared to be working on the vehicle at the time of his death,” Tippetts said.
“Based on preliminary timing and circumstances at the scene, the Nye County Sheriff’s investigation reveals that this death may be the result of the vehicle falling off the jacks on July 4th during the earthquake.”
Both quakes were felt as far as Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas. Pahrump is about 180 miles northeast of Ridgecrest—the epicenter of the quakes.
The identity of the man has not been revealed yet as the police want to inform his next of kin first.
The initial 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit at around 10:33 a.m. local time about seven miles southwest of Searles Valley, eight miles west-southwest from Trona, and 11 miles east-northeast from Ridgecrest, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
After that quake, at least 30 aftershocks hit over the span of about an hour, with the largest registering at 4.7 on the Richter scale, which is used to determine the strength of seismic activity, according to the USGS’s map.
About 30 minutes before the 6.4 magnitude quake, two smaller earthquakes struck, including a 4.0 magnitude tremor, the USGS reported.
People across Southern California, including Los Angeles and Anaheim, reported feeling the quake and the aftershocks.
Now that it looks like we are done shaking & rolling PLEASE call your family, friends, and check on any elder or disabled persons you know. 6.6 magnitude #earthquake out of #ridgecrest CA REPORTED AT 10:02AM
— LA County Sheriff’s (@LASDHQ) July 4, 2019
Unlike the last major Southern Californian earthquake that hit the populated area of Northridge in 1994, the two Ridgecrest quakes last week caused minimal fatalities. Dozens died in the 1994 quake, which caused billions in damage.
Californian Gov. Gavin Newsom said he estimates the Ridgecrest quakes caused over $100 million in economic damage.
