Strong quake rocks central New Zealand

A severe 6.3-magnitude earthquake rocked central New Zealand Monday.

The quake struck at 3:52 p.m. local time and was centered 10 km north of Castlepoint on the southeast of the North Island at a depth of 50 km, according to the latest measurement from the government's GeoNet monitoring service.

Aftershocks measuring up to 4.5 on the Richter scale are continuing to shake the area.

No casualties have yet been reported.

Railway services in Wellington, where the quake was clearly felt, had been suspended, Radio New Zealand reported.

St John Ambulance had been reporting substantial damage in the small rural town of Eketahuna, where the power had been cut and water mains had burst.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported a low probability of a tsunami.