A third earthquake struck off New Zealand on Friday.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has warned of potentially dangerous waves in New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, as well as Wallis and Futuna, among others.
A proven risk of a tsunami in New Caledonia has also been reported by civil security, which asks residents to leave the coast.
“A wave of one to three meters will impact the whole of New Caledonia.
People must leave the beaches and stop all nautical activity, children must not be picked up from school so as not to create congestion, ”NC1re Alexandre Rossignol, spokesperson for civil security, told the radio station. , reporting a "real threat" because the wave, expected around 10 am local (midnight in Paris), could "penetrate the land".
A strong earthquake occurred a few minutes ago off the coast of New Zealand at 8:28 a.m. (local time).
In conjunction with the competent authorities and State services, tsunami warnings are triggered on the islands concerned.
- Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) March 4, 2021
The (PTWC) added that smaller waves were as likely to reach countries as far from the quake's epicenter as Japan, Russia and Mexico, as well as the shores of North America. South.
"Do not stay at home !"
In New Zealand, authorities have ordered an evacuation for residents living in parts of the east coast of the North Island.
"People (being) near the coast in the following areas must immediately move to the nearest heights, out of all evacuation areas, or as far inland as possible," ordered the National Emergency Management Agency.
" Do not stay at home !
She warned.
What a tsunami siren sounds like.
#eqnz pic.twitter.com/bSRYtuvx5j
- Sacha Judd (@szechuan) March 4, 2021
The New Zealand Herald reports traffic jams in cities like Whangarei and on other roads around affected areas.
The latest 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck a thousand kilometers off the New Zealand coast, near the uninhabited Kermadec Islands, according to the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS).
Occurring at 8:28 a.m. local time (this Thursday at 8:28 p.m. in France), it does not seem to have caused any victims.
Two previous earthquakes
It was preceded by a 7.4 earthquake in the same region at 6:41 a.m.
Another magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 180 km northeast of the town of Gisborne at 2:27 a.m. at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km.
The latter was felt across New Zealand, as seen by residents of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Almost 60,000 people have reported it on the local monitoring app Geonet.
No damage or casualties have yet been reported.
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New Zealand is located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a junction zone of tectonic plates with strong seismic and volcanic activity.
The South Pacific country recently marked the 10th anniversary of the Christchurch 6.3-magnitude earthquake that left 185 people dead in the city on the South Island.
