Wellington, Safar 15, 1438, November 15, 2016, SPA -- The New Zealand Air Force on Tuesday began evacuating people stranded in a South Island town cut off by landslides following a 7.5-magnitude earthquake which killed two people, dpa reported. The air force said four helicopters had begun evacuating people stuck in Kaikoura after Monday's earthquake, which caused massive damage to state highway and rail links in and out of the town. The Marlborough Emergency Management Group says there are up to 1,000 tourists stranded in the town, which has intermittent power, limited fuel supplies and only three days supply of water left. Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said New Zealand authorities had accepted offers of help from the United States and Japanese militaries as part of its ongoing response to the earthquake. "Depending on weather conditions, the goal today is to evacuate about 140 people on a priority list out of Kaikoura. These include tourists whose travel plans have been affected." Brownlee said a New Zealand navy ship, the HMNZS Canterbury, which is scheduled to arrive Wednesday, would provide essential supplies to the town, including water, food and chemical toilets, and would evacuate most of those stranded. The US Navy has offered New Zealand the use of two helicopters on board its destroyer the USS Sampson, which is visiting as part of the country's 75th naval celebrations, in the first US naval visit since New Zealand declared itself nuclear free in 1987. New Zealand has experienced more than 1,000 aftershocks since the first tremor struck. --SPA 11:44 LOCAL TIME 08:44 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w269715