WELLINGTON, Nov 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) – A 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit North Island, New Zealand, on Sunday (this) morning and was felt by thousands of people.
More than 5,000 people reported feeling the earthquake, which happened offshore around 5:34 a.m. local time. There is no report of human casualty yet.
The earthquake, which struck out at sea, about 50 kilometres north-west of Te Kaha, Bay of Plenty, in the North Island of New Zealand, was initially rated as 5.3-magnitude but has been upgraded to 5.9-magnitude. The depth of the earthquake is 115 kilometres down the sea.
GeoNet, which monitors seismic activity in New Zealand, said, deeper quakes such as this were often widely felt, especially on the East Coast of North Island.
At about 7.30 a.m., the agency said, it had reviewed the quake and upgraded it from a 5.3 to a 5.9. It reminded people to “drop, cover, and hold on” in the event of an earthquake.
