6 Chinese tourists airlifted out of quake-hit town

A first batch of six Chinese tourists has been airlifted from the worst-hit town of Kaikoura to Christchurch after a deadly quake rocked much of New Zealand early on Monday.

Staff with the Chinese consulate general in Christchurch, the country's second largest city, said that "altogether 21 Chinese tourists, including one slightly injured in the head, have been found trapped in Kaikoura so far, and they are all safe now".

The six evacuees are three pairs of mother and child and the youngest child is five years old. They arrived at Christchurch at around 3 pm, said Consul General Jin Zhijian.