NBC News is reporting that a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand near the capital city of Wellington on Sunday. Local airports suspended both inbound and outbound flights, according to local reports, and train service into the city has been canceled. One News reported on its website that all flights in and out of Wellington Airport were suspended indefinitely amid fears of damage to equipment.
Fortunately, unlike the devastating Christchurch earthquake of 2011, damage from this earthquake was reportedly minimal, and only four people have been reported injured.
According to Reuters, locals were advised to stay away from Wellington, New Zealand's third largest city, as engineers conducted inspections on buildings. The harbor front of the city at the southern tip of the country's North Island appeared to suffer the most damage: A tretch of sea wall off the city's container port reportedly crumbled into the water. Parts of the city have been cordoned off, and streets in the business district were littered with shattered glass and pieces of broken concrete.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was centered about 35 miles south-southwest of Wellington in the Cook Strait between the northern and southern islands.