(ATR) A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck Salt Lake City Wednesday morning, forcing the evacuation of tall buildings and the city's airport.
The epicenter was in Magna, a township in western Salt Lake near the Great Salt Lake.
Utah governor Gary Herbert tweeted: "We had a 5.7 earthquake out of Magna this morning – felt across much of the state. Follow proper safety measures in the event of any additional aftershocks or quakes."
A second tweet from Herbert said: "Please stay away from the downtown area while crews assess damage. Unless you work in public safety, or are an essential employee, remain at home or telework."
The control tower, concourses and terminals at Salt Lake City International Airport have been evacuated. The main road into the airport is open so arriving passengers can be picked up, according to the airport's social media page.
The 5.7 earthquake, the biggest in Utah since 1992, hit at 7:09 AM local time. There are reports of 28 aftershocks and some structural damage to buildings. About 50,000 residents are said to be without power.
Utah Senator and Salt Lake City 2002 chief executive officer Mitt Romney has been re-tweeting information from the governor, Utah Emergency Management and the Utah Department of Health.
The Utah Department of Health informed that due to the morning earthquakes and evacuations of call centers, the Utah COVID-19 Information Line is down until further notice.
Tom Kelly, the recently retired vice-president of communications for the U.S. Ski Team, said he was in a Park City grocery store during morning hours and didn’t feel the initial tremors. However, earthquake alerts lit up on his phone and he said there were about a dozen aftershocks.
Park City residents near the 2002 Olympic bobsleigh and ski jumping complex also experienced the earthquake with one woman saying her entire house shook like jello.
Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort, which respectively held freestyle skiing and alpine events during the 2002 Games, shut down skiing and suspended operations three days ago due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A resident of Heber Valley, in the vicinity of the Salt Lake 2002 cross-country and biathlon center, said the earthquake was also felt there.
A resident of Spanish Fork, a city about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City, said her bed was swaying side to side, the walls were moaning and it lasted three to five seconds.
Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Olympic Games and has been put forth by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as the U.S. candidate city for an Olympic Winter Games. The Utah capital is considered a co-favorite along with Sapporo, Japan for 2030.
Written by Brian Pinelli
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