San Francisco, July 6 (TIWN) A massive earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale hit Southern California, swaying buildings, cracking foundations and forcing panicked residents to sleep on the streets a day after a 6.4-magnitude temblor hit the US state.

The United States Geological Survey reported that the latest earthquake’s epicenter was in the Mojave Desert, 11 miles from Ridgecrest, Calif. — near where a 6.4-magnitude quake had hit about 36 hours earlier. Since Thursday’s earthquake, the area had been jolted by a series of rolling aftershocks, including one of a 5.4-magnitude that roused Californians on Friday morning.