Some 60 Dutch people stuck in New Zealand after earthquake

About 60 Dutch tourists are stuck in the New Zealand coastal town of Kaikoura after an earthquake this weekend completely isolated the town from the rest of the island. The town is only acessible by one road and landslides completely blocked it, a spokesperson for travel agency Travel Essence said to BNR.

The Dutch stuck on the island all booked trips there individually. "We have had contact with everyone and all people are unharmed", the spokesperson said. A naval ship is on the way to Kkaikoura to evacuate the stranded tourists by sea, but the boat will arrive only on Tuesday night Dutch time at the earlierst.

The earthquake damaged a number of accommodations in the town, but according to the spokesperson all Dutch still have a roof over their heads. The quake also damaged the water supply and sewerage of Kaikoura, but so far this hasn't caused big problems.

Kaikoura is located on the east coast of South Island, about 180 kilometers from Christchurch, according to Metro. It is a popular tourist destination because you can sometimes spot whales and dolphins from the shore. In total about 1,200 tourists are stranded in the town.