Seismologist says tidal surge of up to one metre has been recorded in North Canterbury region of the New Zealand's South Island
* USGS says quake magnitude revised to 7.8
* Authorities issue tsunami alert, say waves could be 5 metres
* Thousands flee homes to seek higher ground
* Reports emerging of injuries, so far no reports of deaths
*
In 2011, a 6.3 quake killed 185 people in Christchurch (Recasts,
updates with fresh comments on tsunami risk, possible casualties)
By Charlotte Greenfield
WELLINGTON,
Nov 14 (Reuters) - A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake and a series of
aftershocks shook New Zealand in the early hours of Monday, generating a
tsunami and sending thousands of people fleeing for higher ground.
Emergency
response teams were dispatched by helicopter to the region that bore
the epicentre of the quake, some 91 km (57 miles) north-northeast of
Christchurch in the South Island, amid reports of injuries and collapsed
buildings. There were no immediate reports of deaths.
Power
was out and phone lines down in many areas of the country, roads were
blocked by landslips and the Civil Defence Ministry warned that waves of
up to five metres (yards) remained a risk for several hours.
"The
first waves have arrived but we know that it is too early to say what
the impact has been," said Sarah Stuart-Black, national controller at
the Ministry of Civil Defence. "Our concern is what is coming. Future
waves are coming that may be bigger than what has come before."
The
first tremor, just 15 kms deep, struck the island nation just after
midnight, jolting many from their sleep and raising memories of the 6.3
magnitude Christchurch quake in 2011, which killed 185 people. New
Zealand's Geonet measured Monday's quake at magnitude 7.5.
New
Zealand lies in the seismically active "Ring of Fire", a 40,000
kilometre arc of volcanoes and oceanic trenches that partly encircles
the Pacific Ocean. Around 90 percent of the world's earthquakes occur
within this region.
St. John Ambulance said it was
sending helicopters carrying medical and rescue personnel to the coastal
tourist town of Kaikoura. It is completely cut off and officials said
there are reports of a collapsed building.
"There
are some reports of casualties but the picture will be clearer as day
breaks," Acting Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said.
In
Wellington, there was gridlock on the roads to Mount Victoria, a hill
with a lookout over the low-lying coastal city, as residents headed for
higher ground.
"I'm just sort of parked by the side
of the road and I think people are trying to go to sleep the same as I
am," Wellington resident Howard Warner told Reuters after evacuating his
seaside house.
Richard Maclean, a spokesman for
the Wellington City Council, said there was structural damage to several
buildings. Residents were advised to stay away from the central
business district on Monday and the train network was closed for checks.
Wellington international airport, however, was expected to open as
usual on Monday.
In Christchurh, where tsunami
sirens continued intermittently, three evacuation centres were accepting
residents. Police have set up roadblocks to prevent people from
returning to lower-lying coastal areas.
Pictures
shared on social media showed buckled roads, smashed glass and goods
toppled from shelves in shops in Wellington and the upper South Island.
"The
whole house rolled like a serpent and some things smashed, the power
went out," a woman, who gave her name as Elizabeth, told Radio New
Zealand from her home in Takaka, near the top of the South Island.
There was initial confusion when emergency services first said there was no tsunami threat.
Christchurch
Civil Defence Controller John Mackie said that while the earthquake was
centred inland, the fault line extended offshore for a considerable
distance. That meant that seismic activity could cause movement out at
sea, leading to a tsunami.
(Additional reporting by
Colin Packham, Byron Kaye, Jane Wardell in Sydney; Writing by Lincoln
Feast and Jane Wardell; Editing by Neil Fullick)
http://news.trust.org/item/20161113113702-re5f9