New Zealand hit by powerful quake
Print Edition
RESIDENTS in coastal areas of New Zealand fled through the night after a powerful 7.8 earthquake struck just after midnight, triggering a potentially destructive tsunami.
The earthquake, centered north of Christchurch in the South Island, was felt throughout the country, causing widespread damage and reported casualties.
As tsunami warning sirens were activated in South Island coastal towns and along the east coast of the North Island, police and emergency workers went door-to-door to evacuate seaside properties.
A “destructive tsunami” with waves up to 5 metres was possible, said the ministry of civil defense, responsible for emergency management in New Zealand.
Some early waves were up to 2 metres but civil defense warned they could intensify and described the tsunami as “an event of life-threatening or national significance.”
Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee told a media briefing he had received reports of casualties near the South Island coastal town of Kaikoura but details were unclear. Local media reported emergency services were searching for a missing person in a collapsed homestead. A second person who had been thought missing in the building was found alive.
The earthquake struck at 12:02am today and was 23 kilometers deep, the US Geological Survey said, putting the epicenter near the alpine tourist village of Hanmer and the rural township of Cheviot in North Canterbury. It was one of the most powerful shakes to rock earthquake-prone New Zealand and ignited painful memories for residents in Christchurch, which was devastated five years ago by a 6.3 tremor that killed 185 people.
“It was massive and really long,” Tamsin Edensor, a mother of two in Christchurch, said, describing the powerful quake as the biggest since the 2011 tremor, which was one of New Zealand’s deadliest disasters.
“We were asleep and woken to the house shaking, it kept going and going and felt like it was going to build up.”
The main tremor was followed by a series of strong aftershocks and there were reports of damaged houses. Roads were cut and rail and ferry services were halted.
In a brief message Prime Minister John Key tweeted: “I hope everyone is safe after the earthquake tonight.”
People took to social media to report damage with goods tipped from shelves and shattered glass littering streets.
Marie Black, a local councillor who lives about 50km north of Christchurch, told the New Zealand Herald there were reports of damage to buildings in the North Canterbury region.
“It was a significant shake, I have felt several aftershocks and it is very unnerving,” she said.
Civil defense boss Sarah Stuart-Black said people should not be fooled if the first tsunamis were not as big as predicted particularly in the top half of the South Island.
“It could be as high as 3-to-5metres. The first waves have hit but it may be the first waves may not be the biggest,” she said.
In several cities guests were forced to evacuate hotels when the quake hit, including Nelson, about 200km from the quake center where the touring Pakistan cricket team are staying.
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