Magnitude-6.1 earthquake hits New Zealand

International Desk: New Zealand has been rocked by a magnitude-6.1 earthquake which struck near the town of New Plymouth, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake was recorded at 3:13pm local time, at a depth of 227 kilometres on the North Island's west coast.

Thousands of people felt the quake, some as far away as the South Island, and New Zealand Parliament in Wellington briefly suspended proceedings after the tremor.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Prince Harry and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex are currently in New Zealand, with Kensington Palace posting photos on Twitter today of the couple planting a tree at a riding club near Auckland, about 250 kilometres north of the quake's epicentre.

New Zealand has suffered damaging earthquakes in recent years.

In February 2011, Christchurch on the South Island was struck by a magnitude-6.3 earthquake which killed 185 people and injured several thousand.

The quake also brought down many buildings damaged by a magnitude-7.1 tremor that struck in September 2010 without causing many serious injuries.

Source: Agencies


risingbd/Oct 30, 2018/Mukul