 |
| Damages to buildings due to the magnitude 7.0 earthquake |
Christchurch is New Zealand's second largest city with a population size of 386,000. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake brought about a declaration of state emergency in Christchurch. As New Zealand is seated at the southern tip of the Pacific Ring of Fire and is the zone where the Pacific plate converges with the Indo-Australian plate. New Zealand is subjected to approximately more than 14,000 earthquakes annually, whereby 20 of them exceed a magnitude of 5.0. The last deadly earthquake that hit New Zealand was one measuring 7.1 magnitude on the South Island's western coast.Christchurch International Airport was shut as a precautionary measure and several strong aftershocks were felt after the main shock.
