Earthquake Jolts New Zealand, Cyclone Gabrielle weakened

An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale struck New Zealand on Wednesday. According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the earthquake occurred 78 km northwest of Lower Hutt, near Wellington. The tremors were felt at a depth of 48 km (30 miles), government seismic monitor Geonet stated.The earthquake's epicentre was 50 km from the town of Paraparaumu, it said.  Tremors were felt in Levin, Porirua, French Pass, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Wellington, Whanganui, Waverley, Palmerston North, Feilding, Picton, Eketahuna, Masterton, Martinborough, Hunterville, among other regions.New Zealand lies on the seismically active "Ring of Fire", a 40,000-km arc of volcanoes and ocean trenches girdling much of the Pacific Ocean.

A M6.1 earthquake caused a long and strong shake felt widely across the North Island and Marlborough region. We received over 61k felt reports.

No tsunami is expected.

Remember, drop, cover hold in the event of aftershocks.

It’s a difficult time for the N. Island. Kia kaha pic.twitter.com/jVpXdaffjk

— GeoNet (@geonet) February 15, 2023

Meanwhile Cyclone Gabrielle weakened and moved away from New Zealand as the country started to assess the damage caused by significant flooding, landslides and high winds that left three people dead. The worst of the weather has now cleared and meteorological service WeatherWatch said in a statement that Cyclone Gabrielle is now east of the country and continuing to track away from the North Island with weather now improving.Gabrielle, which reached New Zealand on Sunday before making its way down the east coast of the North Island, cut off a number of towns, closed roads and left houses under water. Residents in hard-hit areas are now being asked to conserve water and food because of fears of shortages.