Seddon hit by Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake 19th July 2013

[JennyLeez]

Wellington has been shaken by a "severe" magnitude 5.7 earthquake this morning.

The quake at 9.06am shook buildings in the central city and the suburbs, and was felt for at least 20 seconds.

GeoNet said the 19km deep quake struck 40km east of Seddon in Marlborough and described it as "severe" in intensity.

There has been a flurry of smaller shocks since the initial magnitude 5.7 quake, the strongest recorded as magnitude 3.8.

It struck 30km east of Seddon at a depth of 20km at 9.38am.

At least 10 other shocks were recorded in the Marlborough area by 9.45am.

A Fire Service spokeswoman said there were no reports of damage so far, although an alarm activation may have been caused by the quake.

The quake shook the emergency services communications centre on the seventh floor of the police station on Victoria St in central Wellington for a good 30 seconds, she said.

At the time of posting this 10.30am 16 after shocks have been recorded.

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