There was a violent 7.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of New Zealand.
Initially, a tsunami warning was issued - it has now been lifted.
Update from March 4, 7:20 p.m.:
A violent 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook New Zealand on Friday night (local time).
The center was in the sea east of New Zealand's North Island.
According to reports, the tremors were felt across the region, including major cities like Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
According to GeoNet information, the quake occurred around 100 kilometers off the coast of the Gisborne district at a depth of 90 kilometers.
There were several minor aftershocks.
The US early warning system had initially issued a tsunami warning for a radius of 300 kilometers.
A few hours later, however, the authorities announced that the danger was over.
New Zealand - Tsunami warning after major earthquake off the coast
First report from March 4th:
Wellington - The earthquake off the coast of New Zealand occurred on Friday night (local time).
The epicenter was 94 kilometers deep, about 100 kilometers east of the Pacific state, announced the local monitoring system GeoNet.
Experts issued a tsunami warning.
"Anyone near the coast who has felt a long or strong quake should IMMEDIATELY move to the nearest hill or as far inland as possible," tweeted the civil defense.
"We are checking whether the earthquake triggered a tsunami."
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.
Almost two hours after the tremors, 60,000 people reported to the local GeoNet monitoring system that they had felt the quake, reported the
New Zealand Herald newspaper
.
"Hope everyone is okay out there," wrote New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Instagram, "especially those on the east coast who must have felt the full force of the earthquake."
The
New Zealand Herald
newspaper reported that civil defense in New Zealand asked people in coastal regions to move to higher areas
.
Many people in the region drove into the country after the warnings.
The civil protection agency appealed to citizens to stay away from the water and beaches and to follow the news on radio, television and the Internet.
Just last month, New Zealand thought of the victims of the Christchurch earthquake ten years ago.
On February 22, 2011, 185 people were killed in the largest city on the South Island.
The quake had a magnitude of 6.2.
(ml / dpa)
