Another large quake hit the Christchurch area at 7.49 this morning, it  was believed to have been  a 6.1 but that has now been downgraded.

Twitter user are  posting that major cracks have appeared in the Lyttelton tunnel – it has been closed, and that Plains FM Radio Station is being evacuated. The station broadcasts on the net here.

From Geonet

• Reference Number: 3368445
• NZST: Wed, Sep 8 2010 7:49 am
• Magnitude: 5.1
• Depth: 6 km
• Details: 10 km north-west of Diamond Harbour

John Key was in the village of Kaiapoi, one of the worst hit places in Saturday’s 7.1 quake, talking with residents and looking at the damage, when the latest quake struck.

Already fragile buildings have suffered further damage in the quake and power and water supplies have been disrupted again.

More on Stuff.co.nz:

Major Aftershock Hits Canty –

LATEST: The most strongly felt and damaging aftershock since Saturday’s major earthquake has hit Canterbury this morning, causing fresh damage to buildings, affecting power, and sending residents out into the streets.

The magnitude 5.1 aftershock – initially believed to be as powerful as 6.1 – hit Canterbury at 7.49am at a depth of 6km in the Lyttelton area. It was preceded by a 4.1 magnitude shock and followed by a 3.8…More

Our thoughts are with the residents and visitors in the area.

Fiji

A  magnitude 6.3 earthquake has been reported east-north-east of Fiji. The USGS said it occurred around 4.13 am (NZ and Fiji time) this morning,