Magnitude 6 earthquake shakes New Zealand

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – A strong earthquake shook New Zealand's South Island on Wednesday.

According to GeoNet, “a magnitude 6.0 earthquake with strong shaking has occurred at 9:14 a.m. (2114GMT Tuesday).”

“The earthquake was 11km deep and located within 45km north of Geraldine and felt widely throughout the Canterbury region,” GeoNet said in a statement.

There were no reports of any damage.

“The quake was centered in the Rangitata Gorge area where two identified active faults meet – the Ben McLeod Fault and the Lake Heron Fault,” said GeoNet, which monitors geological hazards in New Zealand.

“This area has no known historical quakes above magnitude 5,” it added.