A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand’s South Island on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey said. The tremor — initially recorded with a magnitude of 7.0 — hit at 2:43 pm (0143 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.

WELLINGTON (Reuters) -A strong 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand's South Island on Tuesday, authorities said, as the country's disaster agency assessed if there were any tsunami threats.

A 6.7 earthquake hit off the coast of New Zealand. According to USGS, the earthquake hit around 2:43 p.m. on Tuesday, local time. USGS reports the earthquake was 10 km deep, 159 km from Riverton, New Zealand at the southwestern end of the South Island.