A 56-year-old man was found dead pinned underneath a vehicle Tuesday in Nevada, and officials say an earthquake is likely to blame.
The man was last seen at a gas station July 3 and was likely killed while working on his car the following day, Nye County, Nevada, sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Tippetts said in a video statement.
“This death may be the result of the vehicle falling off the jacks on July 4 during the earthquake,” Tippetts said in the statement.
The 6.4-magnitude quake rattled Southern California and was felt in Nevada. A stronger 7.1-magnitude temblor that hit the same region the following day.
The man was not immediately identified, pending notification of next of kin.
If the cause is confirmed, his death would be the first reported in the earthquakes that struck near Ridgecrest, California, on July 4 and 5.
20 PHOTOSSouthern California quake on July FourthSee GallerySouthern California quake on July Fourth
RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA – JULY 04:A local resident inspects a crack in the earth after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the area on July 4, 2019 near Ridgecrest, California. The earthquake was the largest to strike Southern California in 20 years with the epicenter located in a remote area of the Mojave Desert. The temblor was felt by residents across much of Southern California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA – JULY 04: People walk near cracks in the road after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the area on July 4, 2019 near Ridgecrest, California. The earthquake was the largest to strike Southern California in 20 years with the epicenter located in a remote area of the Mojave Desert. The temblor was felt by residents across much of Southern California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA – JULY 04:A crack stretches across the road after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the area on July 4, 2019 near Ridgecrest, California. The earthquake was the largest to strike Southern California in 20 years with the epicenter located in a remote area of the Mojave Desert. The temblor was felt by residents across much of Southern California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
TRONA, CALIFORNIA – JULY 04: Workers repair damaged utility lines after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the area on July 4, 2019 in Trona, California. The earthquake was the largest to strike Southern California in 20 years with the epicenter located in a remote area of the Mojave Desert. The temblor was felt by residents across much of Southern California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
TRONA, CALIFORNIA – JULY 04: Workers remove downed utility lines after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the area on July 4, 2019 in Trona, California. The earthquake was the largest to strike Southern California in 20 years with the epicenter located in a remote area of the Mojave Desert. The temblor was felt by residents across much of Southern California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA – JULY 04:A local resident photographs a fissure in the earth after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the area on July 4, 2019 near Ridgecrest, California. The earthquake was the largest to strike Southern California in 20 years with the epicenter located in a remote area of the Mojave Desert. The temblor was felt by residents across much of Southern California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – Vehicles drive over a crack on Highway 178 south of Trona, after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit in Ridgecrest, California, on July 4, 2019. – Southern California was rocked by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake Thursday morning, the US Geological Survey said, with authorities warning that the temblor, the largest in two decades, might not be the day’s last. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP)(Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
A damaged home is seen after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit in Ridgecrest, California, on July 4, 2019. – Southern California was rocked by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake Thursday morning, the US Geological Survey said, with authorities warning that the temblor, the largest in two decades, might not be the day’s last. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP)(Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – A damaged home is seen after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit in Ridgecrest, California, on July 4, 2019. – Southern California was rocked by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake Thursday morning, the US Geological Survey said, with authorities warning that the temblor, the largest in two decades, might not be the day’s last. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP)(Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
RIDGELINE, CA JULY 4:Charles Hawkins tries to move a dresser off of his bed hours after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake severely damaged his home July 4, 2019 near Ridgeline, California.(Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
RIDGELINE, CA JULY 4: A jack pylon pierces the living room floor of Charles Hawkins’ mobile home that was severely damaged by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake July 4, 2019 near Ridgeline, California. (Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
RIDGELINE, CA JULY 4: Charles Hawkins is embraced by his mother Elizabeth outside his home that was severely damaged in a 6.4 magnitude earthquake July 4, 2019 near Rideline, California. (Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – A car drives past a crack in the road on Highway 178, south of Trona, after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit in Ridgecrest, California, on July 4, 2019. – Southern California was rocked by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake Thursday morning, the US Geological Survey said, with authorities warning that the temblor, the largest in two decades, might not be the day’s last. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP)(Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA – JULY 04:Charred items sit in front of a home which caught fire following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on July 4, 2019 in Ridgecrest, California. The earthquake was the largest to strike Southern California in 20 years with the epicenter located in a remote area of the Mojave Desert. The temblor was felt by residents across Southern California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Seismologist Lucy Jones speaks at a media briefing at the Caltech Seismological Laboratory in Pasadena, California following the 6.4 Searles earthquake near Ridgecrest about 150 miles (241km) north of Los Angeles, July 4, 2019. – Southern California was rocked by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake Thursday morning, the US Geological Survey said, with authorities warning that the temblor, the largest in two decades, might not be the day’s last. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)(Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
RIDGECREST, CA – JULY 04:A patient is evacuated from Ridgecrest Regional Hospital after city was hit by a 6.4 earthquake July 04, 2019 in Ridgecrest, California.(Photo by Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
RIDGECREST, CA – JULY 04:Firefighters place cots for patients being evacuated from Ridgecrest Regional Hospital after a 6.4 earthquake struck July 04, 2019 in Ridgecrest, California.(Photo by Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
A damaged motorhome is seen red-taped after an earthquake, Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Ridgecrest, Calif. The strongest earthquake in 20 years shook a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday, rattling nerves on the July 4th holiday and causing injuries and damage in a town near the epicenter, followed by a swarm of ongoing aftershocks. The 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Hartman)
Earthquake damage inside the Daily Independent newspaper office seen after an earthquake in Ridgecrest, Calif., Thursday, July 4, 2019. The strongest earthquake in 20 years shook a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday, rattling nerves on the July 4th holiday and causing injuries and damage in a town near the epicenter, followed by a swarm of ongoing aftershocks. The 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest, Calif. (Jessica Weston/ The Daily Independent via AP)
Earthquake damage inside the Daily Independent newspaper office seen after an earthquake in Ridgecrest, Calif., Thursday, July 4, 2019. The strongest earthquake in 20 years shook a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday, rattling nerves on the July 4th holiday and causing injuries and damage in a town near the epicenter, followed by a swarm of ongoing aftershocks. The 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest, Calif. (Jessica Weston/ The Daily Independent via AP)Up Next
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It appeared that the vehicle was jacked up safely and based on tools and the position of the body it is thought he was working on the vehicle when it fell, Tippetts said.
The 6.4-magnitude earthquake was the strongest to hit Southern California in two decades, experts have said. Officials have said that no deaths and no major injuries were reported in California in either of the two earthquakes.
Pahrump is a town of around 36,400 near the California-Nevada border, around 105 miles northeast of Ridgecrest.
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