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Big
quake shakes central New Zealand
Central
New Zealand has been hit by a severe magnitude 6.5 earthquake.
26
January, 2013
Geonet
said it was centred in the Cook Strait, 20 kilometres east of Seddon
at a depth of 17 kilometres. It struck at 5.09 pm
It
is the latest in a sequence of major earthquakes that have been
hitting Wellington and wider areas around central New Zealand since
Thursday.
A
spokesman from police said while there were lots of reports of broken
windows and power lines down, there were no reports of deaths or
major property damage. The Pacific Tsunami Center in Hawaii said the
quake did not generate a tsunami.
A
Wellington Airport spokeswoman said flights were diverted away from
the capital between 6pm and 6.40pm because of fears the airport's
navigational aid equipment had been knocked out.
Three
flights were diverted to Palmerston North and another to Blenheim in
the interim. A flight from Auckland to Wellington was cancelled and
10 more were delayed.
Planes
were able to land in Wellington after 6.40pm by using alternative
navigational equipment, the spokeswoman said. Airport staff would
continue to examine its equipment throughout the night.
The
runway was assessed between 5.30pm and 6pm and no damage was found.
A
spokesman for the NZ Transport Agency said an initial damage report
of state highways in the quake zone was done and no damage or
blockages were found.
The
agency would carry out more detailed inspections tomorrow, he said.
The
Wellington suburb of Karori lost power when the big quake struck, it
was restored about 5.45pm.
Residents
who rushed to the supermarkets for batteries and candles - in
particular - were met with doors barricaded by shopping trollies, and
staff who said they were closed.
A
worker at Karori Woolworths said it was too dangerous to send staff
into the shop, as a great deal of produce had fallen.
She
had already fallen over once, she said.
People
queued outside the door offering to pay whatever they had to produce,
as it was not possible to get change.
The
owner of the budget store in Karori Mall was offering to give his
candles away, as a community service. He led grateful customers
through the store by torchlight.
Palmerston
North:
The
quake was felt in Palmerston North this evening, although early
reports indicated no damage in the region.
Aftershocks
continued to rumble from the same area, and a 4.4 quake struck at
5.14pm, 15 kilometres north of Hunterville.
Palmerston
North fire station had no reports of damage, and power was not lost
to any part of Manawatu.
People
took to social media to give their reactions to the quake.
Village
Inn Kitchen tweeted, "Don't worry we are still pouring beer the
the fridge is fine and I hope everyone is ok."
Rapper
PNC, who was in town for a gig at Mr Cue last night, said he also
felt it.
Marlborough:
The
Seymour Square memorial clock in central Blenheim stopped at the time
of the quake.
A
Blenheim police spokesman said there had been reports of power
outages throughout the Marlborough region including Blenheim, Seddon
and "many outer suburbs".
He
was unaware of any damage to buildings or infrastructure, except
burst water pipes, and said no injuries had been reported to police.
"The
phone has been ringing non-stop but it's mainly about power outages
and landslips on State Highway 1," he said.
There
was a slip on Highway 1 south of Seddon, which was believed to be as
a result of the quake.
Officials
were not sure of the exact location. But a team has been sent out.
It
was not yet knwon whether the highway would be closed.
Mackenzie Presten, 10, with caregiver Anthony Mills, ducks for cover at the ASB sports centre in Kilbirnie during the earthquake. Photo: Craig Simcox/Fairfax NZ
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