INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
was centred 45km north of the town of Geraldine in the Canterbury region.The epicentre is about 120km west of Christchurch and the event
marks the strongest earthquake to hit New Zealand this year.The quake was just 11km deep, GeoNet says, and was felt across both the South
and North Islands.Despite its size, the National Emergency Management Agency has confirmed there is no tsunami risk.The organisation
recorded about 10 minutes after the initial shock.The magnitude is similar to that of which rocked Christchurch in 2011, killing 185 people
