5.8 magnitude earthquake hits New Zealand

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A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has hit New Zealand's South Island city of Christchurch. The New Zealand government geological agency said the shaking began just before 2pm local time, 20 km northeast of Lyttelton. People evacuated buildings and have been the assessing the damage.
The quake lasted for about 20 seconds, and was followed by a swarm of aftershocks. Residents covered their mouths as falling rocks created heavy dust in the city’s air.
On the east side, liquefaction caused water and mud to bubble to the surface, flooding the streets. Christchurch Airport was evacuated, causing many flights to be cancelled or delayed.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has hit New Zealand's South Island city of Christchurch.

Jasmine Buchanan, pregnant mother said "It was just horrible. Yeah, I’m waiting for my mum. I have no idea where she is. I spoke to her over, probably, half an hour ago, and now she’s still not here."
Shopping malls across the city were also evacuated on what was one of the busiest shopping days of the season.
Geonet warned more earthquakes are likely to hit the city, and says recent tremours are interrelated.
Ken Gledhill, Head of Geohazards Monitoring, Geonet said "This whole sequence was kicked off by the September 2010 event, which changed the earth under our feet in Christchurch. And this series of earthquakes is a result of that, including the February and June one. This is almost like a re-run of the June one."

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has hit New Zealand's South Island city of Christchurch.

In September last year, Christchurch experienced a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, causing around 25 billion NZ dollars, or $19 billion US dollars worth of damage.
Six months later, 6.3 earthquake struck the Canterbury region in New Zealand’s South Island, killing more than 180 people. It was marked worst natural disaster in the country since 1931.
Many residents suffered when previous quakes’ liquefaction caused mud and water to flood their homes.
Residents will wait for the mud to dry, before cleaning it up for a third time.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has hit New Zealand's South Island city of Christchurch.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has hit New Zealand's South Island city of Christchurch.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has hit New Zealand's South Island city of Christchurch.

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