Magnitude 5.9 Earthquake in New Zealand's North Island... Prime Minister Ardern Surprised During Press Conference

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is seen briefly looking around after an earthquake occurred during a live TV interview broadcast in Wellington, New Zealand, on May 25. / Photo by The Guardian YouTube capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] A magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred on the North Island of New Zealand on the 22nd (local time).

GeoNet, New Zealand's geological activity monitoring agency, reported that at around 10:58 a.m. that day, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 30 km southwest of Taumarunui in the central-western part of the North Island, at a depth of 210 km.

The tremors from this earthquake were not very severe, and no damage reports have been received.

However, immediately after the earthquake, more than 24,000 reports from residents who felt the tremors were submitted on the GeoNet website.

On the morning of the 22nd (local time), a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred on the North Island of New Zealand.
Photo by Geonet site capture

At the time, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was holding a COVID-19 related press conference at the Parliament in the capital Wellington, also felt the tremors and paused briefly.

Local media reported that Ardern, while answering a reporter's question, felt the tremors, widened her eyes momentarily, and looked in another direction.

However, Ardern soon regained her composure and asked the reporter, "I was momentarily distracted and didn't hear that. Sorry, please ask the question again."

Ardern had previously felt tremors during a live TV interview on May 25 last year and explained the situation by saying, "There are some earthquakes happening here."

The earthquake on this day occurred about 30 km northwest of Levin, a city near Wellington, with a magnitude of 5.8, strong enough for tremors to be felt for more than 30 seconds even in Wellington.

Meanwhile, New Zealand is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone where large earthquakes frequently occur.