Tsunami hits New Zealand east coast after 7.5-magnitude earthquake

Civil defence says first wave has struck the South Island and warns that more could reach the coast in the hours ahead.
A tsunami has struck New Zealand’s east coast after a powerful earthquake hit the South Island just after midnight.
New Zealand civil defence said the first wave had hit the South Island and warned that more could reach the coast in the hours ahead.

 

It advised anyone near the shoreline to move to higher ground immediately. The evacuation zone quickly expanded to include the eastern coast of the North Island, including Wellington.
The US Geological Survey said the magnitude-7.5 quake hit 59 miles (95km) from Christchurch, which is still recovering from the 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people and destroyed many buildings.

According to the New Zealand Herald, people from as far away as Wellington and Dunedin felt the quake. It said sirens could be heard in Wellington and that “people are on the street crying”.
Civil defence issued a tsunami warning for the entire east coast and said it was “assessing [the] situation with assistance of scientific advisers and civil defence groups”.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/13/new-zealand-south-island-hit-by-74-magnitude-earthquake