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Wellington (AP) – There were several violent earthquakes off New Zealand on Friday. According to the disaster control authority, three severe earthquakes were recorded in the morning (local time).
A tsunami watch has been issued for much of the Pacific region. The strongest earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1 and occurred near the Kermadec Islands, about 800 kilometers northeast of New Zealand’s North Island. Shortly after, another of magnitude 7.4 followed in the same region. Hours earlier there were 7.1 magnitude tremors about 100 kilometers off the coast of the Gisborne district.
Coastal residents in the affected areas were asked to move to safety and monitor the situation closely. The Civil Protection Agency appealed to residents of Northland, East Cape and Great Barrier Island to move to higher regions or as far into the interior of the country as possible. Thousands are on the run, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported. The newspaper quoted a local resident: “I look at the beautiful calm sea and hope nothing comes out of there. We have to wait.”
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) early warning system warned of a possible tsunami. The experts expected waves from one to three meters high. The warning also applied to archipelagos such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Tonga, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. The Kermadec Islands, where the two strongest earthquakes occurred, are part of New Zealand but are hundreds of kilometers offshore. Initially, there was no information on possible damage or injury. New Zealand has a total of just under five million people.
Tremors from that night’s first earthquake were reportedly felt throughout the region, including the major cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Nearly two hours later, 60,000 people reported to the local GeoNet monitoring system that they had felt the earthquake, according to the New Zealand Herald. “I hope everyone is okay,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wrote on Instagram, “especially those on the East Coast who must have felt the full force of the earthquake.”
Last month, New Zealand thought about the victims of the Christchurch earthquake ten years ago. On February 22, 2011, 185 people died in the largest city on the South Island. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.2.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210304-99-694431 / 2
