Magnitude 6.8 earthquake reported off the coast of New Zealand, no tsunami expected for B.C.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has recorded a magnitude 6.8 earthquake off the coast of New Zealand.

The epicenter was reportedly 159 kilometres WSW of Riverton, a town on the South Island of New Zealand and was recorded just before 10 p.m. EST.

The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center says a tsunami is not expected for the U.S. states along the west coast or British Columbia.

It was originally recorded as a magnitude 7.0, but was later revised by the USGS.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) are still working to assess whether there is a tsunami threat to New Zealand.

Residents from all the places near the New Zealand coast to self-evacuate if they felt the earthquake for longer than a minute or was strong enough that it was hard to stand.

More to come