WELLINGTON: A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck near the New Zealand capital Wellington on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake struck under the Cook Strait that separates the North and South Islands at a depth of 74 kilometers (50 miles), USGS reported.

Wellington is on the southern end of the North Island, which is responding to a cyclone this week that caused widespread flooding and landslides that left four people dead.

The nation of 5 million people sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes are common.

An earthquake in Christchurch on the South Island in 2011 killed 185 people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings.

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