A 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocked recovering Christchurch days before Christmas
A series of tremors rocked the New Zealand capital of Christchurch on Friday, Reuters reports. A 5.8 magnitude earthquake was followed by a series of rattling aftershocks, the strongest reaching 5.3 on the Richter scale. The upheaval comes just 10 months after a deadly quake killed 182 people and caused extensive damage to infrastructure. The mayor of Christchurch, Bob Parker said of the latest quake: “It’s terrible timing, you can’t underestimate the impact of this on people on the psychological level.” Although there were no casualties or widespread damage reported, the earthquake sent terrified people running into the streets and caused rockfalls in the surrounding area. Many people chose to flee the city, congesting roads just before Christmas. No tsunami warnings have been issued.