Strong earthquake rattles New Zealand's South Island, tsunami alert lifted

NEW ZEALAND (REUTERS)

A magnitude 5.9 ​earthquake struck near the town of Te Anau in New Zealand's South Island, shaking buildings and prompting authorities ⁠to briefly issue a tsunami warning.

The earthquake's epicentre was ​about 40 km north of Te ​Anau, ‌which is the gateway ⁠to the ​tourist hotspot of Fiordland, according to New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The agency initially ‌assessed the quake, which struck at 9.14 pm local ‌time, at magnitude 6.3 before revising it downward to 5.9.

Although the tsunami alert was ​cancelled, NEMA said it expected coastal areas to experience "strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore."

It said people should move out of the water, off ‌beaches, and stay away from ​harbours, marinas, and rivers.

There were more than 18,000 "felt reports" to the hazard monitoring system GeoNet.