Colorado hit by 5.3 earthquake

The largest earthquake to strike Colorado in almost 40 years has shaken hundreds of people near the New Mexico border.

The largest earthquake to strike Colorado in almost 40 years has shaken hundreds of people near the New Mexico border.

The National Earthquake Information Centre in Golden, Colorado, said a magnitude 5.3 earthquake was recorded at about 11.46pm last night, about 14.5km south-west of Trinidad, Colorado, and about 290km south of Denver.

It followed two smaller quakes in the area earlier in the day.

US Geological Service geophysicist Amy Vaughn said the quake was the largest in Colorado since a magnitude 5.7 was recorded in 1973. That quake was centred in the north-western part of the state - about 80km north of Grand Junction.

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A Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher said a few homes had been damaged in today’s quake and deputies were investigating reports of rockslides along a highway.

AP