Earthquake strikes off New Zealand's Kermadec Islands

Wellington, Feb 18 (AFP) A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand's Kermadec Islands late today, the US Geological Survey reported. The quake hit at 1219 GMT today at a depth of 34 km, about 161 km south of Raoul Island in the Kermadecs. The largely uninhabited islands are northeast of New Zealand's North Island. A magnitude 6.0 quake struck off North Island on Saturday. A shallow 6.3-magnitude quake devastated the New Zealand city of Christchurch in the South Island in February last year, leaving 185 people dead. The country sits on the so-called "Ring of Fire", the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year. (AFP) KUN 02181911 NNNN