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New Zealand's Christchurch rocked by 5.7 magnitude quake

by Reuters
Sunday, 14 February 2016 01:57 GMT

In this 2011 file photo, the partially destroyed ChristChurch Cathedral is seen in central Christchurch during a media tour. The central business district of Christchurch and large areas of suburbs were destroyed in the magnitude 6.3 quake of Feb. 22, which claimed 181 lives. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

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A police spokesman told Reuters there were no reports of damage or major injuries

By Rebecca Howard

WELLINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - A 5.7 magnitude quake struck near New Zealand's city of Christchurch Sunday, according to the country's earthquake monitoring service.

The quake hit just eight days short of the Feb. 22, 2011 earthquake in the same region, which resulted in nearly 200 deaths and caused billions of dollars of damage.

The epicenter was 15 kilometers east of the city at a depth of 15 km, Geonet said.

A police spokesman told Reuters there were no reports of damage or major injuries although the tremor did cause "some major rocks to be dislodged into the sea" near Sumner.

Several buildings were evacuated in Christchurch as a precautionary measures.

Civil Defense said there was no tsunami threat to New Zealand.

(Reporting by Rebecca Howard)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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