New Zealand's major city on the South Island, Christchurch, has been hit by a powerful earthquake just after noon, February 22, local time.
A number of buildings have been destroyed or damaged and multiple fatalities have been confirmed by authorities.
The iconic Christchurch Cathedral, a symbol of the city, was badly damaged, its spire collapsing in the quake.
Christchurch ran out of ambulances to ferry the injured to hospital and police cars and other vehicles were being used for transportation. Triage centres were set up at various locations.
It is believed that numbers of people were still trapped in collapsed buildings.
The US Geological Survey says the quake was 6.3 in magnitude and struck five kilometres from the city at a shallow depth of just four kilometres.
Rescue work is currently taking place.
Christchurch was hit by a major 7.1-magnitude earthquake in September last year causing widespread damage.