A powerful earthquake of 5.2 magnitude has struck New Zealand's second largest city Christchurch, the Geonet reported on Friday.
According to the Geonet website, the quake struck at a depth of 11 kilometers (6.86 miles) at about 2:44 p.m. local time on Friday in the Canterbury region, with its epicenter some ten kilometers (6.25 miles) east of Christchurch.
Local reports indicated that the temblor was the strongest to hit the region in recent weeks. Although it shook residential and office buildings in Christchurch, there were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.
Reports say Christchurch also experienced an aftershock of 3.5 magnitude just four minutes after the first quake. It reportedly struck at a depth of 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) with its epicenter some five kilometers (3.12 miles) north-east of the city.
Christchurch has been hit by a series of aftershocks and moderate tremors since a deadly quake of 6.3 magnitude devastated the city in February 2011, killing at least 181 people and causing widespread damages.
Earthquakes are common in New Zealand, which is located between the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates. Though scientists in the seismic active country record around 14,000 earthquakes a year, only about 150 are felt by residents and fewer than ten cause any damage.
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