Christchurch, New Zealand – A strong earthquake has hit New Zealand’s South Island on Friday morning at 4.35 a.m and registered 7.2 on the Richter scale. So far there is no tsunami alert according to a report from The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The epicenter of the quake was near Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city, with a population of about 350.000 people. According to radio reports from New Zealand, the earthquake was severe, the power went out in all the city and a few roads were damaged.
For now there are no reports of casualties although the rumor about the strong New Zealand quake have surfaced online and many Twitterers have posted about this, reporting damages and big aftershocks. Some people say that one of the aftershock was 5.2 on the Richter scale. People are asked not to panic, to stay in their homes and check on child and elder people.
The government is now deciding whether it is a situation that calls for activating the national disaster procedures.