An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck New Zealand on Wednesday near Wellington at a depth of 48 kilometers, New Zealand government seismic monitoring Geonet told Reuters.
According to Geonet, the epicenter of the earthquake was located 50 kilometers from the city of Paraparaumu.
An eyewitness told Reuters that he felt a strong jolt in Wellington that lasted several seconds.
New Zealand sits on the seismically active Ring of Fire, a 40,000-kilometer arc of volcanoes and ocean trenches that surround much of the Pacific Ocean.
The quake came after Tropical Cyclone Gabriel passed through New Zealand’s North Island, killing at least three people and leaving more than 10,500 people homeless, authorities said on Wednesday.