New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, was shaken by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake today.
Fortunately, no injuries or tsunamis have been reported, said Wellington’s Police Inspector Marty Parker. However, parts of the city have lost power along with some damage to buildings and roads.
This quake is the highest on the magnitude scale in a series of earthquakes that have been occurring since July 18 in New Zealand. The cause of the earthquakes, according to US Geological Survey, is the Pacific plate and Australia plate converging.
A 6.9 earthquake is categorized as “strong” on the Richter magnitude scale. As a comparison, the 2010 Haiti earthquake that killed 222,570 people was a 7.0 earthquake, according to NBC.
Although there were no fatalities in New Zealand today, a more complete look at the damage the earthquake caused will be available in the morning. The earthquake came around nightfall and occurred six miles underground. Shaking could be felt hundreds of kilometers away, all the way in New Zealand’s North Island.