Earthquake-hit Kiwis capture intense damage the morning after

After earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 7.5 struck New Zealand's upper South Island just after midnight on Monday, two people were confirmed dead and extensive damage was done to buildings and roads.

With more than 250 aftershocks recorded and tsunami warnings sending people to higher ground, social media was flooded with videos and images as people captured the damage done to their businesses and properties.

And boy, is there some damage. Being located far away from major population centres, however, the earthquake wasn't actually as destructive as it could have been, despite its intense strength.

That meant residents, however shook, were able to provide a rare glimpse into what it feels and looks like to be trapped in the middle of a threatening earthquake.

New Zealand's prime minister, John Key, took to Facebook to confirm details of the earthquake that caused tsunamis of up to 2 metres along the coast around Kaikoura and Wellington. He urged New Zealanders to check on their family and friends.

Seismologist John Ristau told the New Zealand Herald that the quakes, which struck at 12:02 a.m. local time and were felt over 200 km (124 miles) away from its epicenter, were the results of "thrust faulting," a type of reverse faulting where "in a compressed area of Earth's crust, one rocky block (called the 'hanging-wall block') is pushed up relative to rock (the 'footwall block') on the other side." It's a phenomenon that's out of character for the area, he says.

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In the worst-hit town of Waiau and in Kaikoura, roads have been dramatically split in two.

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Needless to say, there's a lot of swearing going on in the video's captured by very freaked out residents.

Scenes featuring New Zealand's most precious resource, wine, being needlessly spilled were a'plenty.

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While damage to property was extensive, people still found humour in the situation, thankful that it wasn't worse.

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Others recorded the ominous sounds of tsunami sirens wailing in the distance.

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"We don’t have any indications at the moment to believe it [the death toll] will rise, but we can't rule that out," Key said in his address. "The situation is still unfolding and we don't yet know the full extent of the damage.”

While tsunami warnings had been downgraded, threats to residents' safety still exist according to the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management and people are being advised to stay clear of the coastline in affected regions.