Violent earthquakes: New Zealanders allowed to return home after tsunami warning

The Pacific Tsunami Early Warning System (PTWC) warned of a tsunami after the earthquake. Residents of affected coastal areas have been asked to reach safety and monitor the situation closely. Emergency Management Minister Kiritapu Allan said people should stay in remote areas or in high altitude areas until everything is cleared up.

The tsunami warning has also been applied to archipelagos such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Tonga, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. The Kermadec Islands, where the two largest earthquakes occurred, is part of New Zealand but hundreds of kilometers off the coast. According to reports, the area felt its first earthquake that night, including the major cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Just last month, New Zealand thought about the Christchurch earthquake victims ten years ago. On February 22, 2011, 185 people were killed in the largest city on the South Island. The quake measured 6.2 magnitude.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210304-99-694431 / 3