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Auckland skyline (icon image)
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There has been a violent earthquake off the coast of New Zealand.
The strength was given by various sources as 6.9 to 7.2.
The center was east of New Zealand's North Island.
The quake occurred on Friday night at a depth of 94 kilometers, said the local monitoring system GeoNet.
The US early warning system issued a tsunami warning.
The civil defense in New Zealand asked people in coastal regions to move to higher areas, reported the newspaper
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New Zealand Herald
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.
The civil protection agency appealed to citizens to stay away from the water and to watch the news on radio and television.
According to reports, the tremors were felt across the region, including major cities like Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Initially, there was no information about damage or injuries.
Again and again violent earthquakes in New Zealand
Only three weeks ago, the New Zealand authorities had prepared for a possible tsunami, but then quickly gave the all-clear.
At that time, a magnitude 7.7 quake occurred in the Pacific around 415 kilometers east of New Caledonia.
No injuries or major damage were reported.
New Zealand is repeatedly hit by earthquakes.
One of the strongest in the recent past occurred in Christchurch in February 2011.
185 people were killed, around 10,000 houses were badly damaged, and the quake had massive economic consequences.
The number of victims could have been much higher, but New Zealand has long had strict regulations for earthquake-proof construction.
Houses must be constructed so that they do not collapse.
Two years later, Wellington, the country's capital, was also hit by a 6.6 magnitude earthquake.
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bam / dpa / AFP
