WELLINGTON, Nov. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- An earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of the South Island of New Zealand Tuesday.

    The quake hit at 9.26 a.m. (2026 GMT) 240 km southwest of Te Anau on the South Island, at a depth of 33 km, a Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) spokesman announced.

    "We would expect very minor damage," GNS seismologist Peter McGinty said.

    However, the quake would have been felt widely throughout the South Island, and in the North Island as far north as New Plymouth which was on the same fault line, he said.

    McGinty said it was a "moderate to deep" quake, but would not cause too many problems because it was so far offshore.

    Offshore quakes were difficult to pinpoint, but its likely epicenter was about 60 km off the coast of Invercargill.

    The GNS had received no reports of damage Tuesday morning.

    Southland District Civil Defense officer Tom Shaw told NationalRadio that there were no immediate reports of personal injury or significant damage.

    The district's Civil Defense organization has not been activated, but staff were on standby while damage assessments were made, he said. Enditem