Magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes southwest coast of New Zealand

WELLINGTON, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A magnitude-5.8 earthquake struck a few hundred kilometers off southern coast of New Zealand on Wednesday, causing moderate shaking near Invercargill, the southern-most city in the country's south island.

According to Geonet, the country's seismic service, the quake hit at 13:43 local time, 585 km south-west of Invercargill at a depth of 12 km.

It was initially classified as a strong quake of 6.1 magnitude, but has since been classified as moderate. A few places across the south island may have felt the shake.