Magnitude 6.8 quake rattles New Zealand

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake off New Zealand’s east coast rocked much of mainland New Zealand today, emergency officials said.

No immediate tsunami warning was triggered at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii by the offshore quake. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The quake, centred in the Hikurangi undersea trench off North Island hit at 8.55pm local time (0755 Irish time) and was 25 miles below the surface, the GNS Science geological agency reported.

It said the quake was located at sea some 30 miles southeast of the coastal city of Gisborne.

Police in Gisborne said there had been some damage in the city but no details were immediately available.

The Geonet website operated by GNS Science said while the quake was felt widely, its impact was particularly felt along the east coast of North Island.

New Zealand sits above an area of the earth’s crust where two tectonic plates are colliding and records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year – but only about 150 are felt by residents. Fewer than 10 a year do any damage.