A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the South Island of New Zealand.

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit New Zealand's South Island on Wednesday, the government said on its website. The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 9:14 a.m. (9:14 p.m. GMT on Tuesday), was located 124 kilometers to the west. City of Christchurch At a depth of 11 kilometers, the government website Geonet said.

Through the website, about 15,000 people reported feeling the tremors.

New Zealand is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a collision zone of tectonic plates with high seismic and volcanic activity.

He United States Geological Survey, which records seismic activity around the world, noted that the quake struck at 09:14 local time on Wednesday (21:14 GMT on Tuesday). The hypocenter is located 11.7 km deep and about 124 kilometers from Christchurch, was hit by a powerful earthquake in 2011.

The New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency The earthquake – felt by about 14,000 residents – did not reflect a tsunami warning in the country of more than 5 million people, it said on its social networks today. However, some residents told public broadcaster Radio New Zealand they had found some cracks in their properties and businesses, but no major damage.

New Zealand sits on a fault line between the Pacific and Oceania tectonic plates. It records about 14,000 earthquakes each year, of which 100 to 150 are strong enough to be felt.. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand on February 22, 2011, killing at least 185 people and damaging 30,000 buildings.

AFP and EFE