'Serious' incident reported in Christchurch, residents evacuated- NZ police

New Zealand police said on Friday there had been a "serious" incident in the South Island city of Christchurch that left a house on fire after residents described hearing the sound of an explosion. Police said in a statement initial reports suggested a number of people had been injured in the incident at about 10.20 local time (2220 GMT) in the residential suburb of Northwood.

A house was on fire and police had closed roads and were carrying out evacuations following a "serious incident". The incident comes four months after a lone gunman killed 51 people and wounded dozens in attacks on two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand's worst peacetime mass shooting.

A Christchurch hotel worker, who was not identified, told the New Zealand Herald newspaper that a sound like an explosion had shaken nearby buildings. "It was more than an earthquake, you'd think a bomb had gone off," the newspaper quoted the worker as saying. Police did not identify the cause of the incident.

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