WELLINGTON – New Zealand emergency services and defence personnel have begun evacuating hundreds of tourists and residents from the South Island town of Kaikoura, a day after a powerful earthquake hit the region, killing two people.

The 7.8-magnitude tremor struck just after midnight on Sunday, destroying farm homesteads, sending glass and masonry toppling from high rises in the capital, Wellington, and cutting road and rail links throughout the northeast of the ruggedly beautiful South Island.

Kaikoura, a popular base for whale-watching about 150 km northeast of Christchurch and near the epicentre, was completely cut off by massive landslips.

Four large defence force helicopters flew in to the town this morning and the Navy’s multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury was headed to the area, Air Commander Darryn Webb, the acting commander of New Zealand joint forces, told TVNZ.

“The priority today is the airlift operation,” he said. “We’re looking to do as many flights as we can out of Kaikoura today … around about four flights, to move approximately 200 of those tourists and residents south.”

Other emergency services were also using helicopters to fly in supplies and fly out those who wanted to leave, Civil Defence’s acting national controller Shane Bayley told reporters.

Around 1,200 tourists had been stranded in the town, officials said.

– Reuters