5.8-magnitude earthquake hit Christ Church,New Zealand Sunday Feb 14,2016

 

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit the New Zealand city of Christchurch today Sunday Feb 14,2016 , seismologists said, sending goods flying off shelves.

The epicentre of Sunday’s quake on New Zealand’s south island was 15 kms (9 miles) east of Christchurch and at a shallow depth of 15 km (9 miles), said the country’s seismological body Geonet.

Geonet said there were more than 40 aftershocks

Sirens could be heard going off around the South Island city and at least one building was evacuated, according to media reports.

The quake struck a week before the fifth anniversary of a deadly 6.3 tremor in Christchurch which killed 185 in one of New Zealand's deadliest disasters.

The latest quake was measured at 5.8 by the US Geological Survey at a shallow depth of about eight kilometres (five miles) and centred 17 kilometres west of the city.

New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called "Ring of Fire", and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year