LOS ANGELES — A strong earthquake rattled a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday, rattling nerves on the July Fourth holiday and causing some damage in a town near the epicenter amid a swarm of ongoing aftershocks.

The 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. PDT in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest. It is the strongest quake to hit the region in 20 years.

Peggy Breeden, the mayor of Ridgecrest, a town of 28,000 people, said firefighters were working to put out five fires, at least one of them at a home, but added that she didn’t know if any injuries had been reported.

Utility workers were assessing broken gas lines and turning off gas where necessary, Breeden told CNN.

“Oh, my goodness, there’s another one (quake) right now,” Breeden said on live television as an aftershock struck.

A series of aftershocks included a 4.5 magnitude temblor, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Video posted online of a liquor store in Ridgecrest showed the aisle floors strewn with broken wine and liquor bottles, knocked down boxes and other groceries. Flames were seen shooting out of one home in the community.

Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the California Institute of Technology’s seismology lab, said the earthquake was the strongest since a 7.1 quake struck in the area on Oct. 16, 1999.

People from Las Vegas to the Pacific Coast reported feeling a rolling motion and took to social media to report it.

Australian student released in North Korea says ‘I’m OK’

TOKYO — An Australian student released after a week in detention in North Korea arrived in Tokyo on Thursday after telling reporters he was in “very good” condition, without saying what happened to him.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Alek Sigley, 29, had been released after intervention by Swedish diplomats and went to the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

Later Thursday, Sigley flew to Tokyo to reunite with his wife.

The Pyongyang university student and tour guide had been out of contact with family and friends in Japan and Australia since June 25. He had been active on social media about his experiences in North Korea and had boasted about the extraordinary freedom he had been allowed as one of the few foreign students living in Pyongyang.

Mexico’s federal police block highways on 2nd day of strike

MEXICO CITY — Mexican officials blamed the political opposition, corrupt federal police and outside players on Thursday for instigating a revolt by security forces who are opposed to being absorbed into the newly created National Guard.

Federal police maintained control of a command center in the Mexico City borough of Iztapalapa for a second day and snarled traffic by blocking highways outside the capital. Meanwhile, in southern Chiapas state, they hung signs expressing support for their colleagues.

The protesting federal police are demonstrating against a plan that dissolves the force and incorporates it into the Guard, which has now been deployed to seal the country’s porous southern border and control immigration and crime.

Somalia cuts diplomatic ties with Guinea over Somaliland

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s government announced it is cutting diplomatic ties with Guinea, accusing the West African country of violating its sovereignty.

The decision came after the president of the breakaway northern territory of Somaliland received a red-carpet welcome in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, earlier this week.

Somalia’s foreign minister, Ahmed Awad, announced the action against Guinea on Thursday in a news conference but declined to give further details.

Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 and has maintained a measure of peace and stability. But the territory, which is in northern Somalia, is not recognized by any foreign government. Somalia insists that Somaliland is not independent.

Pig fever outbreak called ‘complicated and grim’

BEIJING — The death toll from a disease outbreak in China’s pig herds that has pushed up global pork prices has risen to 1.2 million animals, but its spread has “significantly slowed,” a deputy agriculture minister said Thursday.

Authorities are stepping up efforts to contain African swine fever but the situation is “complicated and grim,” Yu Kangzhen told a news conference.

Pork is China’s staple meat and the country produces and consumes two-thirds of the world’s pigs. Bans imposed on shipping pigs out of infected areas since outbreaks began in August have caused shortages in major cities. Importers are filling the gap by purchasing more abroad, pushing up prices.

The virus doesn’t harm humans but is fatal and spreads quickly among pigs. It spread from Africa to Europe and Russia before reaching China.

Iran says no talks with US unless OK’d by Khamenei

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s intelligence minister says any negotiations with the United States would have to be approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and would require the lifting of U.S. sanctions.

On Thursday, the official IRNA news agency quoted Information Minister Mahmoud Alavi as saying “if the supreme leader permits, negotiations between Iran and the United States will be held.” He added, however, that Tehran would not negotiate under pressure.

Tensions have escalated since President Donald Trump withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal last year and restored heavy sanctions.

The U.S. has recently moved a carrier group, bombers and fighter jets to the Persian Gulf, and last month Iran shot down an American surveillance drone.

At Coney Island: Joey “Jaws” Chestnut ate 71 wieners and buns to secure his 12th title at Nathan’s Famous annual July Fourth hot dog eating contest on Thursday, just a few hot dogs shy of breaking the record he set last year.

In front of a crowd of fans and facing 17 opponents, the California native far exceeded his nearest competitors, but didn’t quite make or pass the 74-dog mark he reached in 2018.

Miki Sudo won the women’s competition by chomping down 31 hot dogs. The 33-year-old fell short of her total last year of 37 frankfurters but earned her sixth consecutive title by easily beating runner-up Michelle Lesco, who wolfed down 26 hot dogs.