No reports of significant damage in Wellington

While there a number of incidents involving broken glass in the city, there are no reports of any casualties so far.

A number of people have been freed from lifts in the CBD which stopped when the quake struck.

Inspector Pete Cowan of Wellington District police is urging people to be patient:

"With trains temporarily suspended and many people leaving the city early police are asking people to be patient as they head home this afternoon.

"There is significant traffic on city centre roads and many people walking home and we ask people to take extra care. 

"We also ask people to check on any vulnerable neighbours and alert emergency services if they need assistance." said Mr Cowan.

Police are working with the fire service and Wellington City Council staff as assessments take place around the city.

The Police communications centre in Wellington has reported no significant increase in calls since the earthquake.

Elsewhere in Tasman district there are reports of some damage to buildings in and around the Seddon area, but there are no reports of any injuries.

SH1 between Weld Pass and Kaikoura is currently closed due to a rockfall.

*A Magnitude 6.6 earthquake centered 10km South East of Seddon has affected the Wellington region and aftershocks are continuing. There are currently no tsunami warnings in place.

We have reports of minor damage to buildings but no reports of severe structural damage.

After some initial disruptions, water and power supplies are now fully operational throughout the region.

There are reports of serious traffic congestion. Expect delays and make room for emergency services to get through.

There are no reports of serious damage or disruptions in Kapiti Coast, Wairarapa, Porirua, Upper Hutt, and Lower Hutt.

Details follow…

UTILITIES:

All power and water throughout the region has been restored after some localised outages initially.

TRANSPORT:

Roads: All roads are open, however there is heavy congestion. Please allow for delays and allow emergency vehicles through.

Buses: Some bus services are operating but expect delays.

Trains: All train services have been suspended till further notice while tracks are inspected.

Airport: The Wellington airport runway has been inspected and is open but many flights will be disrupted.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS:

Phone networks are extremely busy, please stay off the phones unless absolutely necessary. Text instead of calling where possible.

BUILDINGS:

There are no reports of significant structural damage.

Lukes Lane is closed and has been cordoned off due to damage to the lift tower damaged in the July earthquake. Please respect the cordons and do not enter the area.

Chews Lane is closed due to minor debris.

* Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMOnz)