A series of powerful earthquakes struck New Zealand on Monday, triggering a tsunami and the aftershocks throughout the country. Killed at least two people, officials said.
The first earthquake magnitude of 7.8 points, hit just after midnight Monday near the coastal town of Kaikoura is about 93 km (55 miles) North-East of Christchurch, according to USGS.
The earthquake caused waves with a height of 2.49 m (8 feet) above normal tides. Philip Duncan service officer of the weather in New Zealand reported that he had not seen anything like it in his 38 years. An initial tsunami warning was canceled, but the tremors continued on Monday afternoon. The earthquake of a magnitude of 6.2 points happened at around 13.00 of the day in 39 km southwest of Kaikoura, and on to the North of Christchurch.
Prime Minister John Key has posted a short video on YouTube after he inspected the damage. "In the short term, we're trying to make sure that the people of Kaikoura have water, food and medical assistance".
The main route from Christchurch to Kaikoura impassable, said Darrin Webb, acting commander joint forces New Zealand. The USGS initially reported the magnitude at 7.4 GPA at a depth of only 10 kilometers shallow enough to cause serious destruction in the immediate surroundings. Later, the service has revised the magnitude to 7.8 and changed the depth of 23 km (14,2 miles), which leads to great destruction between the epicenter and the surface of the Earth.
New Zealand is regularly hit by earthquakes because it is in the "zone of conflict" between the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates. It is part of the Pacific ocean in the "Ring of fire," a horseshoe-shaped zone around the edges of the ocean where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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