A number of shops in a Christchurch mall had to be evacuated this morning after being deemed earthquake prone.
Staff and customers were forced to leave a section of Merivale Mall containing 18 shops, two kiosks and the Fresh Choice supermarket.
The Tower Property Fund, manager of the mall, received advice from engineers and immediately cordoned off the recommended area.
A magnitude 4.0 aftershock struck the city late last night.
The shake struck at 10:36pm, centred 10 km east of Christchurch at a depth of 9km.
It is not clear how long the affected area will be cordoned off.
The upmarket mall is a few kilomtres north-west of the city centre.
"The safety of shoppers and staff at Merivale Mall is paramount and we are acting immediately on advice received," said Sam Stubbs, chief executive officer of Tower Investments.
"While this will be inconvenient for both tenants and customers at Merivale Mall, we cannot compromise their safety," Stubbs said.
