Posted on September 4, 2010 by by valerirojas

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit much of New Zealand’s South Island this Saturday morning. 4th September 2010

The following information comes from the AFP

7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked New Zealand’s second largest city Christchurch early Saturday, causing widespread damage including the collapse of some buildings and power outages.

The Civil Defence ministry said the national crisis management centre had been activated.

“We’ve had a wide range of reports of some serious damage,” a civil defence spokesman said.

Although many people with minor injuries sought treatment, hospitals said there were no reports of any serious injuries although doctors were on standby because of the intensity of the quake and the damage to buildings.

The quake struck at a depth of 16.1 kilometres (10.0 miles) some 30 kilometres (19 miles) northwest of Christchurch at 04:35 am (1635 GMT Friday), the USGS said.

Roads in the seaside suburbs were packed with cars as residents moved inland but there were no tsunami alerts issued.

Tweet