KUALA LUMPUR: A strong earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck Kermadec Islands, New Zealand at 8.41 am today, the Malaysian Meteorological Department reported.
It said in a statement that the epicentre of the quake was 1,037 km north-east of Tauranga, New Zealand, at the depth of 75 km.
However, based on the department’s initial assessment, it did not pose a tsunami threat to Malaysia.
Meanwhile, the country is assessing the possibility of a tsunami risk following the earthquake.
According to Xinhua, the quake hit the Kermadec Islands region with a depth of 49 km at 12.41 pm local time.
People should be self-evacuating immediately from all places near the coast where the earthquake was felt “for longer than a minute or was strong enough that it was hard to stand”, New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency said in a statement.
“In these areas a tsunami may have been generated and may arrive quickly, so evacuate immediately to the nearest high ground or as far inland as possible,” it added. – BERNAMA-XINHUA
