New Zealand's coast near the town of Riverton has been rocked by a massive 6.7 magnitude earthquake as fears of tsunamis grow throughout the country, according to local officials. The Wellington Region Emergency Management wrote on X that it as assessing the risk of tsunami impacting areas of the country but has not definitely said if there is a risk as of yet.

A major earthquake has struck off New Zealand’s southwest coast, with thousands of residents in its vicinity warned to stay away from beaches in its wake.