New Zealand Students Hide Under Desks During Powerful Earthquake

10/30/2018
Updated:
10/30/2018

Students at Paraparaumu College, north of Wellington, ducked under their desks as a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit central New Zealand on Tuesday, October 30.

The quake also prompted the suspension of a session of New Zealand’s Parliament in Wellington as the chamber was evacuated.

More than 9,000 people reportedly felt the earthquake which was centred around 150 miles to the north of Wellington near the Whanganui National Park, Stuff reported.
According to news.com.au, the quake lasted about 30 seconds. A woman said that she felt two shocks approximately two minutes apart while in Wellington.

Civil Defence Minister Kris Faafoi told reporters at Parliament that there was no reported damage, injuries or deaths. If there were any, they would have been known by now.

Metlink Wellington told residents that there would be a delay in public transportation and should check their website or apps for any status updates.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were visiting Auckland at the time of the quake.

Storyful reporter Esther Chan contributed to this article
Credit: Luca van Gorkom via Storyful