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2nd LD Writethru: Magnitude 6.2 quake shakes New Zealand

Xinhua, April 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

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

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

It described the intensity as severe.

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.

The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM) was making contact with local authorities to determine if there had been any injuries or damage, Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye said.

"At this stage, I am advised that MCDEM hasn't received any reports of major injuries or damage," Kaye said in a statement.

"I'm also advised that there are difficulties making contact with some areas, because of communication network issues."

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.

It was followed by a series of aftershocks measuring up to 4.4 magnitude.

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