Moooving On: Cows stranded by New Zealand quake rescued

A freight train is seen trapped by landslides following an quake in the area north of Kaikoura, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 14, 2016.

Elsewhere, strong aftershocks continued to shake New Zealand on Monday, rattling the nerves of exhausted residents.

New Zealand’s official GeoNet said reconnaissance flights had noted between 80,0000 to 100,000 landslips.

Footage from New Zealand’s Newshub shows two cows and a calf trapped near the coastal community of Kaikoura, where the 7.8-magnitude quake struck Monday.

Webb said it had evacuated another 340 people by helicopter since Tuesday.

Some tourists have left by chartering private helicopters.

“Meanwhile, the NZDF is continuing to inspect the inland route into Kaikoura from the south, through Waiau, to determine the condition of the road”.

People are being flown to Woodend, where there is a welfare centre for them.

Huge fissures opened up in roads and some houses were rocked off their foundations. “As long as the main highway remains closed, ferries may have to ship supplies down to Lyttelton, the main port of Christchurch”.

Military helicopters airlifted out about 200 to nearby Christchurch on Tuesday and the warship Canterbury will take up to 500 on Wednesday.

“They have been trapped in Kaikoura for a couple of days, some are maybe scared, they have some mental stress”, said Liu Lian, an official at the Chinese Consulate in Christchurch. A 5.4 tremor was among the bigger aftershocks and was felt strongly in Wellington.

The town, northeast of Christchurch, has been cut off by landslides triggered by the quakes.

Four NZDF NH90 helicopters have been helping evacuate tourists from Kaikoura, on the northern east coast of the South Island.

Trump had tried to get in touch earlier in the week but Key had missed the call in the confusion after the quake.

The devastating cost of rebuilding the country could cost “billions”, according to the Prime Minister John Key.

New Zealand’s 10 million cattle easily outnumber its 4.7 million people.

New Zealand emergency services and defence personnel evacuated hundreds of tourists and residents from a small South Island town amid stronger aftershocks on Tuesday, a day after a powerful natural disaster killed two people.

In the days since, the New Zealand government has mobilised the defence force to drop supplies to towns like Kaikoura that have been completely cut-off from the rest of the South Island.

About 450 were taken by the New Zealand navy’s multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury 150 kilometres south to Christchurch, the South Island’s largest city.

The event would have seen a visit by the first United States warship to visit New Zealand in 33 years, after the country’s rift with America over its nuclear ban.

Mr Brownlee said it was heartening to see overseas partners so willing to alter their plans and offer their assistance.

“They were very fortunate that they happened to be in a place that didn’t break up too much”, Mllton said.

The town, a popular base for whale-watching, has a population of 2,000, which Prime Minister John Key said is bolstered by tourists, mostly worldwide backpackers.

In the city of Wellington, a high-rise building has been evacuated, with reports that at least three of its floors have collapsed.