Aftershocks rumble New Zealand city

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- A state of emergency was in place Sunday after an earthquake and more than 15 aftershocks rocked the eastern New Zealand city of Christchurch, officials said.

Meteorologists said the earthquake was centered 9 miles down and had a magnitude of 4.9 on the Richter scale. It began at 10:30 a.m. and caused structural damage to at least 20 buildings, NZTV reported.

Some of the aftershocks equaled the earthquake's magnitude, the broadcaster said.

See how the lunar eclipse may have contributed to this quake here.