Experts warned of "hazardous tsunami waves" after a huge 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near New Zealand. Scientists said early on Thursday that tsunami waves could affect coastal areas within 300km of the epicentre within the Kermadec Islands region.
The US Geological Survey said the quake was estimated to have been at a depth of 10 km and a tsunami warning was issued shortly after by the US Tsunami Warning System. Officials later said there was no tsunami threat for New Zealand, Australia or the Philippines and the alert was eventually lifted altogether.
The Mirror reports the NZ Civil Defence said in a statement: "There is no tsunami threat to New Zealand following the M7.0 earthquake in the Southern Kermadec Islands. Remember, if an earthquake is long or strong, get gone."
The US Tsunami Warning System initially warned that 'hazardous waves' were forecast to strike some coastal areas.
The alert had stated: “Tsunami waves reaching 0.3m to 1m above the tide level are possible for some coasts of Kermadec Islands. Tsunami waves are forecast to be less than 0.3m above the tide level for the coasts of Fiji, New Zealand and Tonga.”
The Kermadec Islands are located to the north-east of Auckland in New Zealand and measure about 13 square miles. The volcanic island group is regularly rocked by tremors.
