New Zealand struck by quake… then tsunami
Two killed and families flee inland as huge waves hit coast
A POWERFUL earthquake in New Zealand has killed at least two people and triggered a tsunami.
The 7.8-magnitude quake hit the South Island around 11am yesterday, followed by huge waves along the east coast.
Residents were urged to move inland immediately amid warnings of further waves of up to 16ft, as aftershocks rocked the region.
New Zealand’s prime minister, John Key, confirmed last night that at least two people had died and an unknown number were injured.
Many people were asleep when the quake struck – just after midnight local time – at a depth of nine miles, centred at Hanmer Springs, north of Christchurch. To make matters worse, the country’s emergency services number, 111, was knocked out for ten minutes.
Mother-of-two Tamsin Edensor, from Christchurch said the quake lasted a ‘long time’, adding: ‘We were asleep and woken to the house shaking. It kept going… and felt like it was going to build up.’
A resident of Takaka, in the north of the South Island, told Radio New Zealand: ‘The whole house rolled like a serpent and some things smashed. The power went out.’
After the initial shock of the quake, focus turned to the impending tsunami threat, with the first waves arriving at Kaikoura, about 110 miles north of Christchurch, just before 2am local time, the Ministry of Civil Defence said.
Sarah Stuart-Black, the ministry’s national controller, said: ‘The first waves have arrived but we know that it is too early to say what the impact has been… Future waves are coming that may be bigger than what has come before.’
The largest waves were expected between Marlborough Peninsula near Wellington and Banks Peninsula, just south of Christchurch.
There were also reports of landslips and rockfalls as authorities warned about the risk of flashflooding from overflowing rivers. The impact of the quake was felt in Wellington, more than 120 miles from the epicentre. There were reports of significant damage to buildings, including the birthplace of novelist Katherine Mansfield.
Buildings were believed to have collapsed in Kaikoura. Fire crews were reportedly searching for one person feared trapped in rubble.
Power was out in many towns. Several bridges were damaged, roads were closed and many transport services were suspended. Police enforced roadblocks to prevent travel to low-lying coastal areas.
Three evacuation centres were set up in Christchurch, which was still recovering from a severe quake that killed 185 people in 2011.