Tsunami appears after 7.1-magnitude earthquake in New Zealand

Residents of New Zealand's east coast were startled awake early on September 2 (local time) by a series of aftershocks following a 7.1-magnitude earthquake off the country's coast.

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook the east coast of New Zealand but caused no significant damage - Photo: US Geological Survey

AFP quoted the US Geological Survey as saying the earthquake occurred at 4:37 a.m. on September 2 (local time).

The earthquake's epicentre was 30km deep off the coast of New Zealand, about 169km from Gisborne.

A series of aftershocks continued to shake the area for hours, with the strongest recorded at nearly 6.0 on the Richter scale.

The coasts of the North and South Islands, the two main islands in New Zealand, were put on alert after reports of a tsunami following the earthquake.

Immediately after the warning, coastal residents immediately evacuated to higher areas for refuge.

However, according to New Zealand officials, fortunately this was only a small tsunami and did not cause significant damage to people or property.

People were also informed that they could return home because the tsunami had reached a maximum height of…30cm, the next tsunami was predicted to be only about 20cm high.

New Zealand's Civil Defence Agency has warned that some areas may experience unusually strong rip currents close to shore, strong enough to affect small boats.

Pat Seymour, a resident of Gisborne, described the earthquake as “quite strong, enough to keep me standing in the door”.

Earthquakes are quite common in New Zealand and people are given frequent evacuation drills in case of an emergency.

The country's most recent devastating earthquake occurred in February 2011, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, killing 185 people in the city of Christhurch.

According to Tuoitre