The Earthquake Commission has received 225 claims for damage following
last night's 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Fiordland.
The
quake, centred in Dusky Sound, struck at 9:22pm Wednesday night, and was felt as
far away as Australia.
Today, aftershocks continued to
rock the region - the latest around 6pm, measuring
3.4.
While there have been no reports of substantial
damage, claims relating to cracks in wallpaper and bricks are now coming
in.
Lance Dixon of the commission says he expects more to
be lodged in the coming weeks, with the Earthquake Commission Act allowing
people up to three months to make a claim.
More than
14,000 earthquakes are recorded in New Zealand annually, but only about 20 are
stronger than 5 on the Richter scale.
RadioLIVE / 3
News