Powerful 6.7 quake off New Zealand coast

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake shook the east coast of New Zealand Monday, but authorities ruled out an immediate tsunami threat. 

 

The quake, which struck at 10:33 am (2233 GMT Sunday) was centered at sea nearly 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the eastern North Island city of Gisborne and 35 kilometers deep, the US Geological Survey said. 

 

New Zealand's civil defense organization said  it was "unlikely to have caused a tsunami that will pose a threat to New Zealand." —Agence France-Presse