WELLINGTON, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Emergency services were trying to reopen communications and transport to the tourist town of Kaikoura after a deadly earthquake rocked much of New Zealand early Monday.

Roads into Kaikoura, on the northeast coast of the South Island, were blocked by landslides after the 7.5-magnitude quake hit just after midnight.

Police confirmed the two deaths, saying emergency services were still working at the scenes.

One fatality occurred at a property at Mount Lyford, north of Christchurch, on the east of the South Island, and the other at a reported collapsed property in Kaikoura.

Medical rescue helicopters and the air force planes were flying into Kaikoura, a popular tourist destination famed for its coastal scenery and whale-watching activities.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said it had mobilized at least three of its aircraft to support the government's response to the severe quake.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb said an air force NH90 helicopter was supporting relief efforts and a P-3K2 Orion surveillance aircraft was surveying main transport routes and towns from Picton, on the top of the South Island, to the second city of Christchurch.

Another NH90 helicopter and other aircraft were on standby for other tasks, including conducting an aerial survey of areas in the Kaikoura region, which suffered the brunt of the earthquake, Webb said in a statement.

A New Zealand Police spokesperson told Xinhua that emergency services had no information on how many, if any, overseas travellers were in Kaikoura when the quake struck.