Nation and world news in brief for October 7
Magnitude 4 earthquake rattles Southern California, the strongest to hit Ontario in a month
(TNS) — A magnitude 4 earthquake rattled Southern California before dawn Sunday morning — the strongest in a series of modest earthquakes to strike near the Ontario International Airport in the last month.
Sunday’s 3:51 a.m. earthquake was the fifth of magnitude 3 or higher detected in Ontario, California, since early September, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“Moderate” shaking was felt in areas closest to the epicenter, the USGS said, as defined by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. That’s strong enough to awaken many people. “Weak” or “light” shaking may have been felt across a broad region, including the most populous portions of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, large swaths of Los Angeles and Orange counties, and parts of San Diego County.
People reported feeling the earthquake from Palmdale to San Diego. The USGS asked people to submit reports of what kind of shaking they may have felt — or didn’t feel — at the agency’s Did You Feel It? website.
Frontier Airlines plane lands while on fire at Las Vegas airport
(TNS) — A Frontier Airlines plane landed while on fire Saturday at Las Vegas’ airport.
Flight 1326 from San Diego to Vegas was approaching Harry Reid International Airport when the crew smelled smoke and declared an emergency, according to Frontier.
The plane sped down the runway with flames and smoke shooting out from underneath it, startling videos posted on social media show.
However, all 190 passengers and seven crew members escaped without injury. Everyone on board was evacuated by stairs on the tarmac and bused to the terminal, Frontier said in a statement. The county fire department responded immediately and doused the flames.
What caused the plane to catch fire remains under investigation.
Haitian prime minister goes abroad for support after gang massacre
SAINT-MARC, Haiti (Reuters) — Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille embarked on a trip to the United Arab Emirates and Kenya on Saturday to seek security assistance in the aftermath of one of deadliest gang attacks in the Caribbean nation in recent years.
Haiti is reeling after members of the Gran Grif gang stormed through the town of Pont-Sonde in the western Artibonite region early on Thursday, killing at least 70 people, including infants, and forcing over 6,000 residents to flee.
The massacre caused widespread shock even in a country that has grown accustomed to outbreaks of violence, and where the national police force is outgunned and understaffed.
