December 23, 2011 Earthquake: Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand

Sixty people injured, a few buildings damaged and cracks and potholes appeared in roads in the Christchurch area.

Power supplies were cut, trains were suspended and the

airport closed temporarily. Rockslides and liquefaction observed in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch. Felt (VI) at Christchurch and (II) at Dunedin. Felt in much of the South Island and in the southern part of the North Island. (reference #1053)

(CNN)--A series of earthquakes struck New Zealand near the city of Christchurch on Friday, causing damage and disruption in an area still recovering from a powerful quake in February. The tremors have injured at least two people and resulted in the closure of the Christchurch airport, said Vince Cholewa, spokesman for the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management. He added that he did not have any information about the severity of the people's injuries at the moment. The first, a 5.8-magnitude quake, with an epicenter 26 kilometers (16 miles) east-northeast of Christchurch, took place just before 2 p.m. Friday (8 p.m. Thursday, EST) at a depth of 4.7 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A smaller, 5.3-magnitude temblor followed eight minutes later. The emergency services began responding, offices closed and people filed out of buildings. Fallen rocks created problems for traffic. Then, less than an hour and half after the first tremor, as the authorities tried to gauge the damage and residents tried to calm their nerves, a 5.9-magnitude quake shook the region. Its epicenter was 15 kilometers from Christchurch and was 4.9 kilometers deep, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its website. (reference #9660)