Auckland, June 18: New Zealand and nearby islands, including Fiji and Vanuatu were put on a high alert over tsunami waves originated due to a massive earthquake which struck the country at 1.50 pm (Local time). According to reports, magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck 700 km off New Zealand's northeastern coast on Friday morning (Local time).  Earthquake in New Zealand: Quake of Magnitude 6.2 Hits New Plymouth City, No Casualties Reported.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre warned that the tsunami waves are expected to hit Fiji, Kermadec Islands, New Caledonia and New Zealand. The warning said, “Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300 km of the epicentre." As per US Geological Survey, the quake’s epicentre is around 685 km northeast of town Opotiki in New Zealand’s North Island.

Tweet by National Emergency Management Agency:

The tremors were also felt as far south as Invercargill in the South Island. Buildings shook due to the quake. However, no collateral damage or injuries reported in the earthquake. The alert was later downgraded with no tsunami threat. Initially, it was predicted that tsunami waves will be around 0.3 metres above tide level.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 18, 2020 09:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).