Christchurch rocked by series of quakes

Quake-ravaged Christchurch has suffered further damage after a series of 10 earthquakes rocked the region.

Reports said power was cut to 20,000 homes and water mains burst, flooding suburban streets, while goods toppled from store shelves and rocks toppled from cliffs, blocking roads.

Mayor Bob Parker said one shock put a multi-storey building north of the city center on a tilt and surrounding roads were closed.

The largest of magnitude 5.3 was the biggest since a 6.3-magnitude quake devastated the city center on February 22. It was already severely damaged by a magnitude 7.1 quake in November.

There were no reports of injuries, but residents were urged stay at home until roads were cleared and to limit use of water.

Power was restored to all homes after about two hours, Radio New Zealand reported.