Police escorting workers from the scene on Quay Street. Source: Jason Oxenham via NZ Herald]

A street in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, has been cordoned off after reports of a shooting, local media reported on Thursday, with police saying they were responding to “a serious incident” and urging people to avoid the area.

The incident has been contained to a building under construction, police said. A large police presence remained in the area and multiple emergency services have responded, police said.

“This is a scary situation for Aucklanders on their Thursday morning commute to work. Please stay at home, avoid travel into the city centre,” Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said in a tweet.