A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand’s lower North Island on Monday causing chimneys to collapse, televisions to smash, and a giant eagle sculpture to crash to the ground at Wellington Airport.
Monitoring agency GeoNet said the quake hit at 3:52 p.m. and was centred about 160 kilometres north of Wellington. It was felt widely throughout North Island.
Emergency services reported damage to roads and buildings, including broken windows, collapsed walls and fallen chimneys.
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A one-ton eagle sculpture suspended from the airport ceiling in December, to celebrate the release of the second Hobbit movie, was shaken to the ground. An airport spokesman said no one had been injured.
“I was having lunch about 20 metres away and I caught a glimpse of my workmates looking distressed. I saw the eagle swaying, then heard a horrendous noise. It was like the roof was coming down,” food vendor Natalie Julian told Fairfax news service.