U.S. warship diverts to help New Zealand quake victims

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this story misidentified the capital of New Zealand.

The first American warship to visit New Zealand in 33 years is assisting victims of a devastating earthquake that killed at least two people, according to media reports.

The USS Sampson was due to take part in celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of New Zealand’s navy,  but will now help respond to the disaster, the New Zealand Herald reported Tuesday.

Ships from Australia, Canada, Japan and Singapore have also offered to assist, it said.

"The USS Sampson, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, has departed from the Hauraki Gulf and is now on its way to Kaikoura, where it will deploy two MH60 helicopters to help as required. The U.S. has also offered a P-3 Orion for surveillance flights," said Defense Minister Gerry Brownlee, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Rescuers are airlifting locals and tourists from the hardest-hit town of Kaikoura, about 50 miles from the quake’s epicenter.

The government-funded earthquake monitor GeoNet said two separate quakes struck early Monday, measuring at magnitude 7.5. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake as magnitude 7.8.

Hundreds of aftershocks have rocked the area since the first quake hit, according to the BBC.