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Dec. 20 (UPI) -- At least two people were killed and 11 more injured after an earthquake off the coast of Ferndale in Humboldt County, Calif., on Tuesday. The two deaths were "as a result of medical emergencies," the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services said in statement.
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As of 3 p.m. PST, power remained off for almost 70,000 customers in the county after the magnitude-6.4 earthquake, which struck about 7.5 miles southwest of Ferndale at 2:34 a.m. PST, activating the U.S. Geological Survey's Shake Alert system.
No tsunami warnings were issued.
The area was then rocked by dozens of aftershocks in the same general area, one as strong as magnitude 4.6, resulting in minor damage to some buildings. Moderate damage to properties throughout the Eel River Valley is being reported.
The tremor also damaged the Fernbridge northeast of Ferndale.
"State Route 211 is closed while we conduct safety inspections due to possible seismic damage," the California Department of Transportation tweeted along with a photo of the damaged bridge.
The bridge remained closed as of 3 p.m. PST Tuesday.
A handful of other routes were also impassible, Humboldt County confirmed on its website.
The Governor's Office of Emergency Services confirmed on Twitter it is "working with local and state partners to ensure the safety of Californians and availability of resources.
"The state is sending in our best people," Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., said on Twitter.
Authorities held a news conference with latest updates at 2 p.m. PST Tuesday, but was unable to stream it online because of W-Fi issues.
Eureka, Calif., was offering a charging station for electric vehicle owners to use overnight Tuesday.
The California Department of Conservation said Tuesday's quake could be the most powerful since July 2019 when a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Ridgecrest in the south of the state.
Tuesday's quake is the largest to strike Northern California in years. A 6.2-magnitude quake struck the area off the coast approximately 200 miles north of San Francisco.
