THIS BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN WILL BE CAPTIONED LIVE. A SEVERE EARTHQUAKE HAS HIT 55KM SOUTH-EAST OF SEDDON, AT THE TOP OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, WITH BIG SHAKES BEING FELT IN THE CAPITAL AND ELSEWHERE. THE QUAKE MEASURED AT LEAST 6.2 AT A DEPTH OF 8KM. IT WAS FOLLOWED SIX MINUTES LATER BY A NUMBER OF AFTERSHOCKS, THE FIRST MEASURING 5.7. THE FIRE SERVICE HAS BEEN INUNDATED WITH CALLS, AND TRAIN SERVICES HAVE BEEN CANCELLED. CELLULAR NETWORKS OVERLOADED. PEOPLE URGED TO USE TEXT WHERE POSSIBLE. EMERGENCY CALLS STILL WORKING. They have been more than 10 strong after-shocks. There are no reports of significant damage or injuries. House collapsed in Nelson. There are large traffic jams as people attempt to escape Wellington. This is an earthquake that has been felt as far north as Auckland and as far south as Dunedin. The New Zealand transport Association says all highways open. People in quakeaffected areas are urged to check on your neighbours. YOU CAN SOMETIMES GET A CASE LIKE THIS, WHERE YOU HAVE ANOTHER EVENT THAT'S UP THERE, IN TERMS OF MAGNITUDE, CLOSE THE ORIGINAL ONE. IF THAT QUAKE ` OBVIOUSLY IT WAS A FAULT THAT WAS ORIENTED IN THE NORTHEAST ` SOUTH-WEST DIRECTION IN COOK STRAIT, SO IT WAS A SHALLOW FAULT AND HAD A STRIKE-SLIP MECHANISM, WHICH IS WHEN THE TWO SIDED OF THE FAULT SLIDE PAST EACH OTHER RATHER THAN MOVING UP OR DOWN. WE'VE HAD A QUICK LOOK AT THIS NEW QUAKE, AND IT'S GOT A SIMILAR TYPE OF MECHANISM, INDICATING IT'S OCCURRING ON A SIMILAR TYPE OF FAULT IN THAT REGION. WE DO EXPECT A NUMBER OF AFTERSHOCKS FROM THIS EVENT OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, LIKE WE HAD PREVIOUSLY WITH THE 6.5. SO PEOPLE SHOULD BE WARY OF THAT. The quake was felt across much of the country. I thought I was having a dizzy spell. We headed under doorways and under desks. What about damage? We were pretty lucky. Haven't had any damage here. This is probably a bit longer than the previous earthquake. it felt like it rolled on for a bit longer. THAT WAS REALLY SCARY. THAT WAS A BIG ONE, WASN'T IT? YEAH. WHEREABOUTS WERE YOU? WE WERE UP ON THE FOURTH FLOOR, ACTUALLY, IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERVIEW. OUR POOR INTERVIEWEE, AND WE JUST JUMPED UNDER THE DESK. SHE WAS CALMER THAN ALL OF US. YES. A BIG RATTLE. MOST PEOPLE IN YOUR OFFICE GOING HOME? YES, I THINK MOST PEOPLE ARE HEADING HOME. NO. JUST WANNA GET HOME AND BE WITH MY KIDS, MAKE SURE THEY'RE OK. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD TO GO HOME AND NOT GO BACK INTO THE BUILDINGS. SO, YEAH. UNTIL WE'RE TOLD OTHERWISE. THEY'LL SEND OUT COMMUNICATION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE ALLOWED IN. AND A RECAP NOW ON THOSE DETAILS. THE 6.2 EARTHQUAKE HIT JUST AFTER 2.30PM, AND THERE ARE REPORTS IT WAS FELT AS FAR AWAY AS AUCKLAND AND DUNEDIN. AT LEAST 12 STRONG AFTERSHOCKS HAVE BEEN FELT. TRAINS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED IN WELLINGTON, THERE'S BEEN NO TSUNAMI WARNING. THERE ARE REPORTS OF PEOPLE TRAPPED IN LIFTS AND AT LEAST ONE HOUSE COLLAPSE. THANKS FOR WATCHING THIS ONE NEWS SPECIAL. WE'LL BRING YOU MORE ON THESE LATEST QUAKES AS INFORMATION COMES TO HAND.