Strong earthquake rattles New Zealand’s South Island; tsunami alert later lifted
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
The quake’s magnitude was initially assessed to be 6.3 before it was revised downwards to 5.9.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM USGS
- A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near Te Anau in New Zealand’s South Island, shaking buildings but causing no immediate injuries or damage.
- Authorities initially issued a tsunami warning but later lifted it, warning of strong and unusual currents along coastal areas.
- Residents described the quake as strong and long, with over 18,000 felt reports submitted to the GeoNet hazard monitoring system.
AI generated
A magnitude-5.9 earthquake struck near the town of Te Anau in New Zealand’s South Island, shaking buildings and prompting the authorities to briefly issue a tsunami warning.
The earthquake’s epicentre was about 40km north of Te Anau, which is the gateway to the tourist hot spot of Fiordland, according to New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The quake struck at 9.14pm local time. The authorities initially assessed its strength at magnitude 6.3, with NEMA issuing a tsunami warning and urging people in coastal areas to evacuate.
It later downgraded the warning to an advisory after the magnitude was revised to 5.9, before cancelling it altogether, saying the threat had passed after no tsunami signals were detected for two hours following the quake.
Local resident Maylene Puyat, the duty manager at Te Anau’s Fiordland Hotel, told Reuters the earthquake was “a bit strong” and she felt shaking for about a minute.
“In the hotel, it’s shaking,” she said.
Another resident told local outlet Otago Daily Times that the shaking from the earthquake was “long and loud” and that it sounded “like a train”.
“The walls were definitely moving,” the resident said.
There were more than 18,000 “felt reports” submitted to hazard monitoring system GeoNet. REUTERS