Key points
- Emergency officials have warned people to avoid nearby coastal regions
- There was no tsunami warning or immediate reports of damage: Officials
- Officials say no land threat is expected
ISLAMABAD: A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand’s South Island on Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The tremor hit at 0143 GMT at a depth of 10 kilometres off the southwest tip of New Zealand’s South Island, AFP cited the USGS as saying.
Centred around 160 kilometres from mainland settlement Riverton, it was initially recorded as a 7.0-magnitude jolt before it was downgraded, local media reported.
There was no tsunami warning or immediate reports of damage, the Honolulu-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.
Tsunami threat
Australia’s national weather bureau also stated there was no tsunami threat to the mainland, islands or territories, Reuters reported.
New Zealand’s emergency management agency has warned residents to avoid nearby coastal regions due to the risk of “strong and unusual currents”.
“No land threat is expected,” the agency said.
Rose Ivory, owner of La Riviera Guesthouse in Riverton, said her “whole car was rocking and rolling”.
“Everyone was quite calm about the whole thing. I went into the grocery shopping, yeah, no one seemed to be too bothered about it,” AFP cited her as saying.
“We had things fall off shelf. The outdoor wooden table dancing,” a user posted on Facebook, according to the New Zealand Herald newspaper.
New Zealand straddles the boundary of two major tectonic plates and is rattled by thousands of small earthquakes every year.
Major earthquake in New Zealand
According to New Zealand’s parliament website, the country suffered various fatal quakes since 1885.
It said that on 17 June 1929, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake was recorded in New Zealand, in which 30 people were killed.
The most fatal earthquake was reported on 13 February 1931 in the country, which claimed the lives of 256 people. The earthquake also caused extensive damage to buildings, and a 36-hour fire in central Napier which gutted almost 11 blocks.
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake levelled swathes of Christchurch in 2011, killing 185 people, according to government figures.
