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New Zealand rescue workers are evacuating scores of tourists and residents from the town hardest hit by a series of powerful earthquakes.
Four air force helicopters have been airlifting people out of Kaikoura on the South Island after battling strong winds and heavy rain earlier.
The town, northeast of Christchurch, has been cut off by landslides triggered by the quakes.
Hundreds of aftershockscontinue to rock the area.
Two people were killed in the magnitude-7.5 earthquake that struck the South Island early on Monday.
The capital, Wellington, on the North Island has been enduring poor weather on Tuesday, with heavy rain and flooding.
In one bright spot for the recovery, three cows that were filmed stranded on a tiny island after their field collapsed around them havebeen rescued. The farmer that owns them dug a track and encouraged them to come down.
Farmer Derrick Millton was quoted as saying: "They're quiet but they've had a terrible ordeal... You're a clever cow to skip and dance while the land beneath you is disappearing down the hill."
Air Commodore Darryn Webb, acting commander of New Zealand joint forces, told TVNZ that approximately 200 people were being airlifted out of Kaikoura.
There are an estimated 1,200 tourists at the popular whale-watching spot, along with a population of about 2,000.
Two ships and other aircraft are assisting with the evacuations, said the New Zealand Defence Force.
Prime Minister John Key said the top priority was to provide desperately needed supplies to Kaikoura.
(BBC)
