Earthquake Rocks New Zealand; Damages Parliament Building

Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake rocked New Zealand Sunday evening causing damage and power outages but spared the country a tsunami according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake was centered 35 miles off the coastline south of the capital city of Wellington at a depth of just over 6 miles.

The quake caused structural damage to a number of buildings including the country’s parliament building. Water pipes burst throughout the city and many homes had windows smashed but no serious injuries have been reported to officials.

“It felt like the house was about to get up and walk down the street,” Tony Vale of Radio New Zealand told the BBC.

New Zealand, located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, has more than 14,000 earthquakes a year although on average around 20 have an magnitude of 5.0 or higher.

Several residents were concerned the quake would result in mass causalties like a similar 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch in 2011 that killed 185 people.

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