A magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck the northeastern coast of New Zealand on Friday, triggering a tsunami alert for the region.
The quake hit the Kermadec Islands at 7.28 p.m. (0628GMT) at a depth of 19.4 kilometers (12 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.
New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency said the tremor measured 8.0 magnitude.
The agency issued a tsunami warning for northeastern New Zealand near the Kermadec Islands region following a second powerful quake in less than six hours.
"People near the coast in the following areas must MOVE IMMEDIATELY to the nearest high ground, out of all tsunami evacuation zones, or as far inland as possible. DO NOT STAY AT HOME,” the agency said in a statement.
"The East Coast of the North Island from the BAY OF ISLANDS to WHANGAREI, from MATATA to TOLAGA BAY including Whakatane and Opotiki.”
Earlier, a magnitude 7.3 quake struck northern New Zealand, triggering a tsunami warning for coastal areas.Tsunami waves were possible within 300 km of the quake's epicentre, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.
No immediate information on possible casualties, specific damage has been reported.
New Zealand is located in a seismically active zone known as the Ring of Fire and regularly suffers from powerful earthquakes.After three powerful offshore earthquakes struck New Zealand in less than eight hours and triggered tsunami warnings, thousands of people on the east coast of the country’s North Island were evacuated to higher ground on Friday. Residents of areas like Northland and Bay of Plenty on the norther coast near Auckland were assisted for evacuation as authorities said tsunami waves could reach 10 feet above tide levels.
A tsunami warning was issued for all coastal areas around Auckland following magnitude 8.1 earthquake on New Zealand’s northeastern coast on Thursday night.
The latest earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1 and struck the Kermadec Islands, northeast of New Zealand’s North Island. This came shortly after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in the same region. Earlier, a large 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck about 900 kilometres (540 miles) away on the east of the North Island.
“People near the coast in the following areas must move immediately to the nearest high ground, out of all tsunami evacuation zones, or as far inland as possible. DO NOT STAY AT HOME. The East Coast of the North Island from the Bay of Islands to Whangarei, from Matata to Tolaga Bay including Whakatane and Opotiki, and Great Barrier Island.”
The agency further said that though the earthquake might not have been felt in some of these areas but the evacuation is necessary over the possibility of a damaging tsunami.
“Evacuation advice overrides the current COVID-19 Alert Level requirements. Listen to local Civil Defence authorities and follow any instructions regarding evacuation of your area. If you are told to evacuate do not stay at home. Stay 2 metres away from others if you can and if it is safe to do so,” it added.
