A powerful 5.8 magnitude earthquake was felt by more than 37,000 people across the length of New Zealand. The earthquake struck 30km northwest of Levin at a depth of 37km at 7.53 am this morning. The tremors lasted 30 seconds. There have been at least 45 aftershocks before 11 am, with the strongest measuring magnitude 4.4. This morning’s powerful earthquake was felt by a record of 37,000 people.
An earthquake that struck near New Zealand‘s capital had people diving for cover. PM Jacinda Ardern was live on television when it struck. She was being interviewed live on TV from the parliament building, called the beehive when the tremors started. But she continued with the live TV interview. The camera could be seen shaking as the PM looked to the ceiling and said, “We’re just having a bit of an earthquake here Ryan, quite a decent shake here.”
New Zealand sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is sometimes called the Shaky Isles for its frequent quakes. It was strong enough to rattle shelves and stop train services. But there were no reports of major damage or injuries.
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