Panic struck thousands as strong tremors were felt in parts of New Zealand on Wednesday morning, with people coming out of their houses to save their lives.
A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.2 jolted the South Island of New Zealand at 0914 local time (2114GMT), according to a government website.
15,000 people reported feeling the earthquake
According to the New Zealand government’s Geonet website, the epicentre of the earthquake was reported at 124 kilometres west of Christchurch at a depth of 11 kilometres.
The agency further stated that nearly 15,000 people felt the powerful tremors which created panic amongst them. As soon as the quake hit the South Island of New Zealand, people rushed out of their homes to save their lives. Also, the social media was flooded with posts related to the earthquake, with users praying for the well-being of the people in New Zealand.
No loss of lives or major damages to properties have been reported so far by the administration.
Tsunami warning
Although the quake was powerful, New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency did not raise the warning for Tsunami and stated that it hadn’t received any reports of damage so far.
Damage assessment underway
Timaru Deputy Mayor Scott Shannon told local media that there had been no reports of damage to the properties but the assessment is underway.
“The quake was stronger than others as far as she remember. Although there is no damage here, I felt like it was thunder for a start,” a resident said.
New Zealand sits on Pacific Ring of Fire
In 2011, nearly 200 people were killed and hundreds of buildings were damaged after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake jolted the South Island city of Christchurch.
It is worth mentioning here that New Zealand is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area were tectonic plates collide, due to which the country witnesses frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.
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