Evacuation completed in town cut off by quake

Govt promises business owners that it would provide financial assistance for them

New Zealand military leaders said on Wednesday they had almost completed the evacuation of more than 700 tourists and residents from a small coastal town, two days after a powerful earthquake cut off train and vehicle access.

The magnitude-7.8 quake left two people dead, triggered a small tsunami, and brought down rocks and mud that swept across highways.