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WELLINGTON (Reuters) – A strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the eastern North Island of New Zealand on Friday, triggering a tsunami watch that was later withdrawn, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said. , although residents were asked to remain vigilant.
“There is no longer a tsunami threat from this earthquake,” PTWC said in a statement.
There were no immediate reports of damage, but the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) advised people in some coastal areas to immediately move to higher ground.
Local civil defense authorities said the tsunami threat would continue for several hours.
“Coastal flooding (flooding of land areas) is expected in areas under land and marine threat,” NEMA said in a tweet.
The closest major city to the epicenter is Gisborne, with a population of approximately 35,500. People near the coast from Cape Runaway to Tolaga Bay were told to evacuate.
“I hope everyone is well, especially on the east coast, they would have felt the full force of that earthquake,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern posted on Instagram.
There was a threat to the capital, Wellington, and other regions, but civil defense authorities asked residents across the country to stay away from beaches and marine areas, as there could be strong and unusual currents.
More than 60,000 people reported feeling the earthquake on the GeoNet website, 282 described the shaking as “severe” and 75 said it was “extreme.” Most others described it as light.
Aftershocks were still being recorded in the area.
(Information from Praveen Menon in Wellington and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; edited by John Stonestreet, Giles Elgood and Nick Macfie)
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