A magnitude of 6.1 earthquake struck New Zealand at 7.38 pm local time near Wellington on Wednesday at a depth of 50 km (30 miles) from the Paraparaumu town, government seismic monitor Geonet said. GeoNet classified the quake as strong after it struck with a jolt and was followed by 30 seconds of moderate shaking.
New Zealand lies on the seismically active “Ring of Fire”, a 40,000-km arc of volcanoes and ocean trenches girdling much of the Pacific Ocean.
‘It was like a freight train hurtling past our house,’ reported David Haxton from Raumati Beach north of Wellington, while other Kiwis described it as ‘massive’ and ‘scary’.
National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis told media that she saw people duck for cover under tables when the tremor struck while she was at a function in Wellington.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the magnitude of 6.1 earthquake amid the flood-plagued nation was ‘unprintable’.
‘I was looking out the window for a plague of locusts,’ PM Hipkins added.
New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency said there is no tsunami threat and no significant damage was reported.
A spokesperson from Fire and Emergency New Zealand reported no incidents related to the quake.
But Wellington commuters should expect severe delays after the Metlink train services were forced to run at 25km/h until further notice.
Another earthquake with a 4.0 magnitude also hit the country 20 minutes after the magnitude of 6.1 earthquake.
The tremors come a day after the country declared a national state of emergency due to widespread flooding and damage from Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle.
Thousands of Kiwis on the North Island woke up to no power, flooded homes, road closures, and phone outages on Tuesday after the massive storm caused major chaos and cut off communities, leaving an enormous trail of destruction in its wake.
Tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, were without power due to destructive winds from the storm, including the entire city of Napier.
This comes after Cyclone Gabrielle caused significant damage across the North Island this week leaving 4 people dead, more than 10,000 people displaced, and widespread damage
The magnitude of 6.1 earthquake comes just over a week after a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, and a series of debilitating aftershocks, shook the south of Turkey and northern Syria, people and impacting about 20 million.