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| HMNZS Canterbury (Image: Wiki Commons) |
WELLINGTON, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand emergency services have moved to reopening areas cut off by Monday's deadly 7.8-magnitude quake as the evacuation from the coastal town of Kaikoura wound down Thursday.
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) evacuated about 600 stranded tourists from Kaikoura by air and sea Wednesday, including 449 people and seven tonnes of baggage taken to Christchurch aboard navy supply ship HMNZS Canterbury.
About 1,000 tourists were trapped in Kaikoura, on the northeast of the South Island, after massive landslides cut all road and rail links into the town.
Civil Defence emergency management director Sarah Stuart-Black said Thursday that vehicles were able to reach the town from the south for the first time on Wednesday.
Read the full story at Xinhua