4.8 magnitude aftershock jolts Christchurch

CHRISTCHURCH. March 5. KAZINFORM A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand South Island city of Christchurch on Saturday evening; Kazinform refers to China Daily.

The aftershock, which occurred at 7:34 pm local time (0634 GMT), was centered 10 km east of Christchurch and at a depth of 6.4 km.

Xinhua reporter in Christchurch said the aftershock caused houses to rattle. The aftershock lasted about seven to 10 seconds.

The second biggest aftershock on Saturday struck at 10:49 am and measured 4.1 on the Richter scale. It was centered 10 km west of Lyttelton at a depth of 5 km.

There have been more than nine aftershocks in Christchurch on Saturday, ending an aftershock-free period of 14 hours.

The ground has been shaking much of Saturday; Kazinform cites China Daily.

See www.chinadaily.com.cn for full version