A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck near the town of Te Anau on New Zealand's South Island on Thursday evening, prompting authorities to initially issue a tsunami warning for parts of the country's southwest coast. The earthquake was felt across the lower South Island, triggering emergency alerts in several coastal areas.
According to New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the earthquake's epicentre was located about 40 kilometres north of Te Anau, the gateway to the popular Fiordland tourist region.
GeoNet reported receiving more than 20,000 felt reports from residents following the earthquake. The main tremor was followed by seven smaller aftershocks, all centred around the Te Anau region.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) both measured the earthquake at a magnitude of 5.9 and said it occurred at a depth of more than 50 kilometres.
In the immediate aftermath of the quake, NEMA issued a tsunami warning covering coastal areas between Milford Sound and Puysegur Point, advising residents to move to higher ground or as far inland as possible.
However, after the earthquake's magnitude was revised to 5.9, the agency downgraded the warning to a tsunami advisory.
NEMA said coastal flooding is no longer expected and clarified that residents do not need to evacuate unless specifically instructed to do so by local Civil Defence authorities.
Despite lifting the evacuation warning, the agency cautioned that strong and unusual ocean currents, along with unpredictable surges, are still expected along the South Island's west coast between Milford Sound and Puysegur Point.
