India, July 16 -- New Zealand authorities on Thursday lifted the tsunami warning issued after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of the South Island, saying the threat had eased following a revised assessment of the quake.

The National Emergency Management Agency said the advisory had been downgraded from a warning after determining that the earthquake was smaller than initially estimated, news agency AFP reported.

Authorities, who had earlier urged people in affected coastal areas to "move immediately" to higher ground, later advised residents to remain cautious of "strong and unusual currents" along the shoreline.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hindustan Times....