1st LD: Strong quake shakes central New Zealand

Emergency services were assessing damage after much of New Zealand was shaken by a 6.2- magnitude earthquake that struck on the northeast of the South Island on Friday.

The government's GeoNet monitoring service said the quake struck at 3:36 p.m. (0336 GMT) and was centered 35 km southeast of the village of St Arnaud at a depth of 52 km.

The agency upgraded the magnitude from an initial reading of 6. 2 to 6.3 and described the intensity of the quake as strong.

At least three aftershocks have been reported, ranging from 3.5 to 3.8 in magnitude.

The main tremor lasted for about 20 seconds and was felt throughout the North and the South islands.

Winston Gray, Mayor of the town of Kaikoura, near the center of the quake, told Radio New Zealand that council staff ran out of the building when they realized the shaking was getting stronger.

"Well, initially, we were up on the second floor and felt a slight movement, we thought, 'That's okay, that's it,' so we just took our seats, then it came on - to me, it was a rolling motion, quite firm, quite solid," said Gray.

Kaikoura resident had been calling the council with reports of minor damage, he said.

Train services across the South Island and urban rail services around the capital of Wellington had been suspended pending safety checks, Radio New Zealand reported.

The quake was close to the center of a 5.1-magnitude strong tremor that struck just to the east of the South Island town of Seddon on Thursday.

No injuries or major damage were reported in Thursday's quakes.

Seddon was hit by a series of earthquakes in late 2013, the largest of which measured 6.6 and caused considerable damage to the town. Endi