Quakes rattle New Zealand but no reports of major damage

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A series of moderately strong earthquakes has rattled New Zealand’s North Island but there are no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey says a preliminary magnitude 5.4 quake hit the rural Hawke’s Bay region near the town of Dannevirke on Wednesday morning and was followed soon after by a preliminary magnitude 5.2 quake. Several milder aftershocks followed. The quakes were felt as a mild but long rumbling in the capital, Wellington. The nation’s earthquake monitoring agency, Geonet, received reports from more than 22,000 people who reported feeling the first quake.