Auckland, February 22: A 6.3 magnitude earthquake has shaken Christchurch in New Zealand, damaging some buildings, streets and water mains across the southern city.
According to US Geological Survey, the first struck occurred at 2351 GMT on Monday and was followed by a 5.6 magnitude aftershock 15 minutes later, CNN reported.
The hit was five kilometers (three miles) from the city at a depth of four kilometers.
An old Christian church has collapsed, phone services are shut down and the airport is closed. Christchurch Hospital has been evacuated and there is not a confirmed report on the number of injures yet.
Some people were trapped under debris when buildings weakened from the 7.1 magnitude quake in 4 September last year collapsed onto the streets.
“That was, in the city central anyway, as violent as the one that happened on the 4th of September,” Radio New Zealand quoted Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker as saying.
The quake in last September is believed to have been the most tremor struck since 1931, however, there were no deaths in that incident.
——–Agencies