Severe quake strikes in south Pacific near New Zealand

 A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck in waters to the northeast of New Zealand Tuesday.
The government's GeoNet monitoring service described the intensity of the quake, which struck at 5:12 p.m. local time, as " severe."
The quake was located in the south Pacific, 455 km northeast of the North Island town of Whakatane, at a depth of 82 km, according to the GeoNet website.
On Monday, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake began a series of violent tremors that rattled the far south on New Zealand's South Island.
The quake, which struck at 6:13 p.m. local and was centered 140 km west of the town of Tuatapere at a depth of 10 km, was also " severe" in intensity, according to GeoNet.