San Diego earthquake: 'Big' tremor hits California causing buildings to shake

A "huge" earthquake has unleashed tremors so strong that locals of a famously quake-hit city have proclaimed it the biggest they have ever felt.

The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 and was near the mountain town of Julian, east of San Diego, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The tremor swung light fixtures and rattled shelves in San Diego and was felt as far north as Los Angeles, with people reporting they received alerts from the USGS as it rocked them in their homes and as they went about their days. California locals have taken to social media to say they felt the tremors, with some left shocked by the rare event.

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One social media user living in San Diego said on X, formerly that it was the "biggest earthquake" they had ever felt after moving there. They said: "That was the biggest earthquake I've felt since moving to San Diego." One dad added: "Haven’t ever experienced an earthquake. but i lived around sinkholes and i just grabbed my son and ran for the door in my boxers. Heart in my a**."

Another user responded saying: "Never run for a doorway in an earthquake you duck and cover immediately. We all felt it."

Some locals said they were shocked to received an alert from the USGS, which notified people via their phones of the "severe" tremors as they hit at around 10am. One picture of an alert posted online showed it warned people to drop, cover and hold on.

The alert read: "Emergency alert: Severe. Earthquake Detected! Drop, Cover, Hold on. Protect yourself."

A social media user reacting to the alert said they were left "scared" after it was sent. They said: "Our phones went off with an emergency earthquake alert which scared us but I didn’t feel the quake! That’s never happened before!" Data from the USGS shows multiple tremors have hit California this evening, with intensities ranging from mangitues three to 5.2.

Tens of thousands of people have told the agency they experienced the shakes, with nearly 30,000 reports submitted so far.

Most people said they felt weak shaking, with just over 18,000 locals saying the intensity felt between two to three on a scale of 10, meaning the remors were "weak".

The USGS states that the likelihood of casualties and economic losses are low, with a 65 percent chance that one person could die and the overall costs incurred by the earthquake could reach up to $1 million (£750,000). It estimates: "The Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist.

"The predominant vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick masonry and reinforced masonry construction."