Southlanders are being urged to prepare for a civil emergency as strong aftershocks continued to rock the southern region today, following Wednesday night's 7.8 earthquake.
The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has received 223 claims for damage following last night's 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
The massive earthquake in Fiordland last night would have caused "destruction on a massive scale" if it had struck near Wellington, a council leader says.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is checking on trampers in Fiordland after the massive earthquake which rocked the region last night.
All residents of an earthquake-struck area on the southwest edge of Lake Taupo have voluntarily evacuated their homes following fears of a landslide.
A powerful aftershock has hit the quake-struck areas of central Italy, rattling buildings as far away as Rome. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Even before all the debris from Italy's latest devastating earthquake is cleaned up, investigators fear that organized crime is poised to profit from contracts worth billions of dollars to rebuild schools, hospitals, courthouses and homes.
Two earthquakes shook eastern Afghanistan today, killing at least 19 people and destroying dozens of homes, officials said.
Shocked Chiefs rugby player Colin Bourke spent several frustrating hours speaking his broken Italian today, phoning friends in L'Aquila to see if they survived its devastating earthquake.
An earthquake of 4.6 magnitude shook the northern South Island this afternoon.
