New Zealand tsunami warning removed after 7.2 magnitude earthquake | New Zealand

A serious magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck New Zealand’s eastern North Island on Friday, generating a tsunami warning which was subsequently withdrawn, although residents were asked to remain alert.

“There is no longer a tsunami threat with this earthquake,” said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC).

There were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties, but New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) advised people in some coastal areas to move immediately to elevated places.

Local civil defense officials said the tsunami threat would continue for several hours.

“Coastal flooding (flooding of land areas) is expected in areas under terrestrial and marine threat,” Nema tweeted.

The main city closest to the epicenter is Gisborne, with a population of around 35,500. People near the coast from Cape Runaway to Tolaga Bay were told to evacuate.

“I hope everyone is doing well – especially on the East Coast, who would have felt the full force of that earthquake,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern posted on Instagram.

There was no 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. The New Zealand government’s seismic monitor, GeoNet, assessed the magnitude 7.2 earthquake and 94 km (58 miles) depth.

More than 60,000 people reported having felt the earthquake on the GeoNet website, with 282 people describing the quake as “severe” and 75 saying it was “extreme”. Many others have described it as light. Secondary tremors were still being recorded in the area.

The US Geological Survey initially recorded the earthquake at 7.3, then revised it to 6.9. He said the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km.

In 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the city of Christchurch, killing 185 people and destroying much of the city center.