TIJUANA, Mexico, (Reuters) – A strong 6.9 magnitude  earthquake struck in Baja California, Mexico, yesterday,  rocking buildings and panicking residents as far away as  Tijuana and Los Angeles but there were no immediate reports of  damage.

Some people were reported trapped in elevators, retaining  walls had collapsed in some places and electricity was out in  several parts of the Mexican state of Baja California, Alfredo  Escobedo, the director of emergency services in the state,  said.

The relatively shallow quake was centered in a lightly  populated area in northeastern Baja California near the U.S.  border. Telephone communications were cut off with the border  city of Mexicali, 30 miles (50 km) to the northwest of the  epicenter near Guadalupe Victoria.

A Reuters witness in Tijuana, about 135 miles (200 km) away  from the epicenter, said cars in a parking lot outside of a  building could be seen jolting with the quake and a computer on  her desk shook during the temblor.

“I’m shaking like a leaf … the pool water was just going  everywhere,” said Jean Nelson in Indio, California, outside of  Palm Springs, about 120 miles (190 km) away from the  epicenter.

The quake was also felt about 200 miles (320 km) northwest  in Los Angeles, witnesses said.

“Here it was just swinging nicely,” said Nathalie Ruiz, a  resident of a high-rise building in west Los Angeles. “It was  not strong shaking, but it was very scary of course.”

The quake struck at 15:40 p.m. Pacific time (2240 GMT) at a  depth of 20 miles (32 km).

Multiple aftershocks were reported immediately after the  quake including a 5.1 shock centered near the U.S.-Mexico  border in Imperial, California.