One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the South Pacific in modern history triggered tsunami warnings across the ocean and forced thousands of people in New Zealand to evacuate coastal areas Friday. The magnitude 8.1 quake in the Kermadec Islands region about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from New Zealand's two main islands was the largest in a series of temblors over several hours, including two earlier quakes that registered magnitude 7.4 and magnitude 7.3. The tsunami threat caused traffic ja
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Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
Allan and Civil Defence national controller Roger Ball provided the latest update at Parliament late this morning.
Watch the media conference here:
Allan said the evacuation warnings may need to stay in place until sometime this afternoon.
She said the messaging was when it is long or strong, get gone. We saw New Zealanders literally adhere to that advice, they knew to grab their bags. This has been a dynamic event, it is constantly evolving.
Photo: Screenshot
An emergency alert was issued for all Auckland coastal areas for a beach and marine threat at 11.35am. Britomart Train Station in central Auckland has been temporarily closed due to the possibility of flooding, with Auckland Transport saying the high tide due shortly could be an issue. It is due to open again at 3pm.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand-One of the strongest earthquakes to hit the South Pacific in modern history triggered tsunami warnings and forced thousands of people in New Zealand to evacuate coastal areas on Friday.
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