1st LD: Major quake jolts South Island of New Zealand, tsunami detected

A major earthquake rocked South Island of New Zealand in the wee hours of Monday, followed by a series of strong aftershocks and a tsunami warning.

A tsunami has been detected, according to the civil defense authority.

The quake has caused damage in Wellington, the capital city across the Cook Strait on North Island as shown in photos posted on local media websites with shattered windows and collapsed shelves.

No casualties have been reported yet while a church bell was sounded in Wellington in an apparent attempt to warn residents and sirens of fire trucks and ambulances can be heard in town. Some residents ran out and stayed outside during persistent aftershocks near the capital.

Geonet measured the quake with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale, but later revised it downwards to 6.6 with a depth of 16 km near Hanmer Springs, a hot springs tourist town, some 130 km northwest of Christchurch, the biggest city on South Island.

In Christchurch, the most populous city on South Island and where a 6.3-magnitude quake hit in February 2011 and killed 145 people, residents felt strong shaking of the ground.

A Christchurch Police spokeswoman told local news outlet Stuff that there hadn't yet been any calls about damage other than a hole in a road in Hundalee, North Canterbury. Endit