The governor of California has declared a state of emergency after a massive earthquake

shook the San Francisco Bay Area, earlier on Sunday morning.

Paul, emergency services there... say they′ve been overwhelmed in the aftermath.

How widespread is the damage?

Reports say the 6-point-zero magnitude earthquake sent powerful tremors throughout northern

California,... hitting the Napa wine valley... the hardest.

At least 1-hundred-72 people have been injured, thousands have been left without power, and

water and gas lines ruptured.

Though the fires have been put out, authorities are bracing for the next round of aftershocks

in the coming weeks.

Our Shin Se-min reports.

The strongest quake to hit California in a quarter century saw scores of people hospitalized,

caused houses to burst into flames,... and damaged scores of buildings in California′s

Napa Valley.

A 6-point-oh magnitude earthquake rocked California′s wine country at around 3:20am on Sunday, local

time, with the epicenter less than 10 kilometers southwest of Napa.

The earthquake was felt over a huge portion of California,... in San Francisco, but the

most powerful tremors were recorded in Napa and Sonoma County.

More than 30 aftershocks followed the quake,... according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Officials at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa say at least six people have been

critically injured with 120 less seriously hurt.

California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency,... and said state officials

were working closely with state and local emergency managers, first responders and transportation

officials.

California is not a safezone when it come to earthquakes,... as it sits right above

the Pacific′s "Ring of Fire," where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur often.

In 1906, San Francisco was struck by 7-point-8 magnitude quake that killed over 3-thousand

people and destroyed 80-percent of the city.

In 1989, another powerful quake hit in a similar area,... killing more than 60 and injuring

hundreds.

Shin Se-min, Arirang News.