Congratulation!

You have been registered successfully. To activate Your account check your email and confirm your registration.

News / More

5.8-magnitude earthquake shakes New Zealand’s Christchurch

Sunday, 14 February 2016 10:29 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 14 February 2016 10:28 AM ]

Dust and debris rise above houses after a cliff collapses due to an earthquake in the Whitewash Head area of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, February 14, 2016. ©Reuters

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake rocked New Zealand’s eastern city of Christchurch on Sunday, causing cliffs to collapse into the sea but no serious damage to the city.

The quake happened at a shallow depth of about eight kilometers (five miles) and centered 17 kilometers (11 miles) west of Christchurch, the US Geological Survey said.

The tremor was strong enough to shake goods from shelves and prompt some shops to evacuate buyers. Police advised people to stay away from affected areas.

According to the local health officials, several people suffered minor injuries from falls as they ran from the quake.

"This quake is too small to have caused a tsunami," said GeoNet Science, the official New Zealand earthquake monitoring service.

The earthquake came nearly a week before the anniversary of the deadly 6.3-magnitude tremor in Christchurch on February 22, 2011. That quake killed 185 people and leveled much of the center of New Zealand’s second largest city in one of the country’s deadliest disasters.

New Zealand sits on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called Ring of Fire, an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes are common. The country experiences up to 15,000 tremors per year.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk