Magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes New Zealand

Magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes New Zealand, authorities lift tsunami warning.

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake has struck the town of Te Anau on New Zealand's South Island, causing buildings to shake and prompting authorities to briefly issue a tsunami warning.

According to New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the epicenter of the earthquake was about 40 kilometers north of Te Anau, near the entrance to the popular Fiordland tourist region.

So far there are no immediate reports of injuries or material damage, Reuters writes.

The earthquake struck at 9:14 p.m. local time. Authorities initially estimated its magnitude at 6.3, while NEMA issued a tsunami warning and urged residents in coastal areas to evacuate to safer places.

After reviewing the data and lowering the magnitude to 5.9, the tsunami warning was softened, while authorities only asked citizens to be careful. Later, the tsunami warning was canceled completely. /Telegraph/ ...