New Zealand's two main islands, the North and South Islands, have moved closer together following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck the country just after midnight Monday, killing two people.

    Earthquake monitoring agency GeoNet said Friday the monster quake shifted land at Cape Campbell, the north-eastern tip of the South Island, more than two metres closer to the North Island.

    One of the worst affected areas, the town of Kaikoura on the eastern coast of the South Island, was lifted 70 centimetres. "All of this movement happened during the earthquake in a matter of seconds," the agency said Friday.

Source: QNA