At least two people have been killed after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake has hit New Zealand, initially triggering “destructive” tsunami warnings across the country as 16-foot waves were detected off the east coast as aftershocks keep rattling the country.
"It was the most significant shock I can remember in Wellington," Prime Minister John Key told reporters at a dawn news conference from the parliament's underground bunker in the capital city. "There will be quite major costs around roads and infrastructure.
Emergency response teams were already flying by helicopter to the region at the epicentre of the original 7.8 magnitude quake, which struck just after midnight some 91 km (57 miles) northeast of Christchurch in the South Island, amid reports of injuries and collapsed buildings.
Mr Key said that two people were killed in the quake, one of them after being trapped in a collapsed building in Kaikoura. He is taking a helicopter to the small coastal town. Police said that a second person died in Mt Lyford, a nearby ski resort and said they have also received reports that several people had suffered minor injuries in Kaikoura.
"We don't have any indications at the moment to believe [the death toll] will rise, but we can't rule that out," he said.
New Zealand's capital Wellington was a virtual ghost town with workers ordered to stay away while the local council assessed the risk to buildings. Severe weather with 140 kph gale-force winds was forecast for the area, which could cause more damage, such as from glass loosened by the tremors.
The new tremor, a 6.2 quake recorded at about 1.45 pm local time (0045 GMT), was the most powerful of hundreds of aftershocks in the South Pacific country. It rattled frayed nerves in an area where memories of a deadly 2011 quake are still fresh.
Prime Minister John Key said at a news conference later Monday morning that the tsunami warnings were being downgraded to coastal warnings.
"I hope everyone is safe after the earthquake tonight. The civil defence is looking into the impact of the quake. Follow them to stay updated," Mr Key wrote on Twitter minutes after the tremor took place.
Terrified New Zealanders have already begun posting photographs of their homes in the aftermath of the quake.
A spokesman for New Zealand's ministry of civil defence has issued a tsunami warning and urged those living near the southern and eastern coasts of the South Island to get to high ground as soon as possible.
Several tsunami are expected to strike the coastline within the next few hours, with seismologists predicting a tidal surge of up to three feet.
Tamsin Edensor, a mother of two in Christchurch, said the shaking lasted a "long" time.
"We were asleep and woken to the house shaking, it kept going and going and felt like it was going to build up," she told AFP.
Jane Thompson, from the Canterbury region, said it was a "long, rolling earthquake".
“It feels a little different,” a South Island resident told Radio New Zealand.
“The house felt jellylike. It was not long and sustained like other ones.”
Residents in some areas reported hearing land slipping and rock falls as authorities warned about the risk of flash flooding from overflowing rivers.
Buildings around Wellington and across the north-east of the South Island were damaged. Wellington’s city council said the historic house which was the birthplace of novelist Katherine Mansfield is believed to have been damaged, including a collapsed wall.
Some buildings collapsed in Kaikoura, a town about 110 miles north of Christchurch, but no details about the extent have yet emerged.
Power was out in many towns across the country, including Picton, Blenheim and Havelock.
Several bridges have been damaged, roads have been closed and transport services such as rail and ferries have been suspended.
The nation of 4.7-million people is still recovering from heavy quakes in 2010 and 2011, with the continuing rebuilding of Christchurch set to cost about £23 billion.
New Zealand sits on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes are common. An earthquake in 2011 in Christchurch killed 185 people.
The country's 111 emergency service were initially knocked out by the quake, New Zealand police said, but were restored shortly after.
"It was the most significant shock I can remember in Wellington," Prime Minister John Key told reporters at a dawn news conference from the parliament's underground bunker in the capital city. "There will be quite major costs around roads and infrastructure.
Emergency response teams were already flying by helicopter to the region at the epicentre of the original 7.8 magnitude quake, which struck just after midnight some 91 km (57 miles) northeast of Christchurch in the South Island, amid reports of injuries and collapsed buildings.
Mr Key said that two people were killed in the quake, one of them after being trapped in a collapsed building in Kaikoura. He is taking a helicopter to the small coastal town. Police said that a second person died in Mt Lyford, a nearby ski resort and said they have also received reports that several people had suffered minor injuries in Kaikoura.
"We don't have any indications at the moment to believe [the death toll] will rise, but we can't rule that out," he said.
New Zealand's capital Wellington was a virtual ghost town with workers ordered to stay away while the local council assessed the risk to buildings. Severe weather with 140 kph gale-force winds was forecast for the area, which could cause more damage, such as from glass loosened by the tremors.
The new tremor, a 6.2 quake recorded at about 1.45 pm local time (0045 GMT), was the most powerful of hundreds of aftershocks in the South Pacific country. It rattled frayed nerves in an area where memories of a deadly 2011 quake are still fresh.
Prime Minister John Key said at a news conference later Monday morning that the tsunami warnings were being downgraded to coastal warnings.
"I hope everyone is safe after the earthquake tonight. The civil defence is looking into the impact of the quake. Follow them to stay updated," Mr Key wrote on Twitter minutes after the tremor took place.
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| Map showing Wellington and northeastern coast of the South Island |
Terrified New Zealanders have already begun posting photographs of their homes in the aftermath of the quake.
A spokesman for New Zealand's ministry of civil defence has issued a tsunami warning and urged those living near the southern and eastern coasts of the South Island to get to high ground as soon as possible.
Several tsunami are expected to strike the coastline within the next few hours, with seismologists predicting a tidal surge of up to three feet.
Tamsin Edensor, a mother of two in Christchurch, said the shaking lasted a "long" time.
"We were asleep and woken to the house shaking, it kept going and going and felt like it was going to build up," she told AFP.
Jane Thompson, from the Canterbury region, said it was a "long, rolling earthquake".
“It feels a little different,” a South Island resident told Radio New Zealand.
“The house felt jellylike. It was not long and sustained like other ones.”
Residents in some areas reported hearing land slipping and rock falls as authorities warned about the risk of flash flooding from overflowing rivers.Buildings around Wellington and across the north-east of the South Island were damaged. Wellington’s city council said the historic house which was the birthplace of novelist Katherine Mansfield is believed to have been damaged, including a collapsed wall.
Some buildings collapsed in Kaikoura, a town about 110 miles north of Christchurch, but no details about the extent have yet emerged.
Power was out in many towns across the country, including Picton, Blenheim and Havelock.
Several bridges have been damaged, roads have been closed and transport services such as rail and ferries have been suspended.
The nation of 4.7-million people is still recovering from heavy quakes in 2010 and 2011, with the continuing rebuilding of Christchurch set to cost about £23 billion.
New Zealand sits on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes are common. An earthquake in 2011 in Christchurch killed 185 people.
The country's 111 emergency service were initially knocked out by the quake, New Zealand police said, but were restored shortly after.
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