Auckland (NZ Punjabi News)
New Zealand authorities are assessing a potential tsunami threat after a powerful magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck near the Philippines this morning.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly GNS Science) said they are carrying out urgent assessments to determine whether the earthquake generated a tsunami that could affect New Zealand coastlines.
According to preliminary information, the earthquake occurred at 11:38am New Zealand time, approximately 63 kilometres from Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
Officials stressed that there is currently no tsunami warning for New Zealand, but further analysis is underway as more data becomes available.
NEMA said that if a tsunami was generated by the earthquake, it would not be expected to reach New Zealand for at least 10 hours after the event.
The agency noted that the advisory was based on an initial rapid assessment and that the situation could change as scientists receive additional information about the earthquake and any resulting sea-level activity.
Authorities are urging the public to rely only on official updates and warnings issued by NEMA, rather than information circulating on social media.
The earthquake is one of the strongest recorded in the region in recent years and has prompted monitoring agencies across the Pacific to closely watch for any tsunami activity.
Further updates are expected once the assessment has been completed and more information becomes available.
