Tsunami warning issued after major earthquake strikes New Zealand

A severe 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the east of New Zealand’s North Island on Friday (March 5) , prompting a tsunami warning, and authorities advised people in some coastal areas to move immediately to high ground.

 

Tsunami waves were possible within 300 kilometres of the quake’s epicentre, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) said, with some flooding expected.

 

New Zealand government’s seismic monitor, Geonet, pegged the quake at a magnitude of 7.2 with a depth of 94 kilometres and said it hit at 2.27 am local time (12.27 am AEDT).

 

More than 60,000 people reported feeling the quake on GeoNet’s website, with 282 people describing the shaking as “severe” and 75 saying it was “extreme”. Most others described it as light.

 

The closest major city to the epicentre is Gisborne with a population of about 35,500 residents. People near the coast from Cape Runaway to Tolaga Bay were told to evacuate.

 

Source : AP