Earthquake – What earthquake?: Jacinda Ardern continues TV interview – Entertainment

WELLINGTON – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was relatively unaffected by the earthquake during a live TV interview. “We have a small earthquake here, Ryan, a really decent earthquake,” Ardern said Monday morning, interviewer Ryan Bridge, interviewer for the Newshub news service. “We’re fine, Ryan,” she said at Parliament House in Wellington. “I’m not under pendant lights, it looks like I’m in a structurally solid place.” She later said the quake had stopped and the interview had been completed.

New Zealand is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is also known as the “Shaking Islands” because of the frequent earthquakes. The epicenter of the 5.6-magnitude earthquake was about 100 kilometers northeast of Wellington, as measured by the USGS.

The ground shook just before 8 a.m. local time, before thousands of New Zealanders began their work week. It was strong enough to shake food off the shelves and disrupt train communications. There were no reports of major damage or injuries.

In 2011, a violent earthquake struck Christchurch and destroyed large parts of the old town. 185 people were killed in that time. The city is still under reconstruction.