5.8 magnitude severe earthquake jolts New Zealand

By NewsGram Staff Writer

A severe intensity earthquake, measuring 5.8 on the richter scale has hit the New Zealand's South Island today.

The tremor centred 30 km north-west of Wanaka town was of a severe intensity, according to GeoNet, the island country's earthquake monitoring agency.

The quake was followed by two aftershocks of intensity 3.5M and 3.1M around the Wanka town, the agency reported.

Though tremors were also felt as far as the capital city of Wellington, due to the distance from populated centres, it is not expected to cause extensive damage.

The quake comes in the backdrop of the massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake that jolted Nepal on April 25, killing more than 7,000 people. The landlocked nation still has not fully recovered from the calamity.