An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 struck south of New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, on Friday, sending panicked workers and residents into the streets.
The quake is coming just weeks after a similar size quake struck the city.
The quake, which hit near the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, was at a depth of about 10 km, according to NZ Geonet.
While fire authorities said it was too early to assess the impact, there were some reports of superficial damage to buildings from the quake.
It, however, did not cause a wider tsunami alert, but sent items tumbling from shop shelves.
Air and rail services were being suspended while officials checked tracks and runways for damage.
There were also widespread power outages across the north of the South Island.
New Zealand has been hit by a string of quakes since a shallow, 6.3 magnitude tremor devastated the South Island's Canterbury region in 2011, killing nearly 200 people and levelling Christchurch, the country's second largest city.
Earthquakes are common in New Zealand, as the country's two islands lie along the Australia-Pacific tectonic plate boundary.
ABC NEWS
source: nigerianeye
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