BREAKING: One Dead & One Trapped After Rubbish Truck Incident In North Shore

One person is dead and another trapped after the rubbish truck they were in plummeted 10m down a bank in residential Birkenhead on Auckland's North Shore today.

Police this morning said emergency services were at the scene of the accident on Hebe Place in Birkenhead.

One person is trapped and had suffered moderate injuries, police said.

Two ambulances, including one with sirens and flashing lights, have left the scene.

Inspector Lou Alofa said the rubbish truck overturned and fell about 10 metres down a bank.

There were two people in the truck at the time.

One of the people died and the other had moderate injuries.

Police were in the process of advising next of kin of the person who died, Mr Alofa said.

"We're in the process of advising next of kin, we can't release any details at this point in time."

Emergency services and WorkSafe NZ were now conducting an investigation, he said.

Kauri Rd, which leads to Hebe Place, has been completely closed off to the public.

Nothing can be seen down the steep road.

An EnviroWaste rubbish truck just left the scene.

A WorkSafe car left the scene just before 2pm.

An Auckland Council pollution rescue vehicle has also left.

A heavy haulage towing truck has arrived and is backing down the steep road.

It is understood there might be diesel leaking from the overturned truck into the stream beneath the bank where it has come to rest after the fall.

A group of three residents are being spoken to by police on the roadside.

Multiple police vehicles and road safety management trucks are at the scene.

There are about six fire engines and a number of police vehicles and ambulances down the road.

Two more fire engines, including Urban Search and Rescue, have entered the street.

A Fire Service operational support unit has arrived at the scene.

"The man was calling for help"

Hebe Place resident Graham Lundie said he rushed outside when he heard a number of "huge bangs" as the truck went over the bank.

The injured man was calling for help from inside the truck cab, he said.

He is still inside the vehicle.

"I think his legs are trapped so they can't get him out," Mr Lundie said.

"It's quite a serious cliff its fallen over. It's really stuck right down in the valley.

"It looks like it's going to go on for a couple of hours actually."

Another resident who lives down the steep street said police allowed him through the cordoned-off area because he had a flight to catch.

He could not see anything to do with the accident, he said.

It is about 1km to the end of Hebe Place from the cordoned-off start to Kauri Rd.

Photo: Jason Oxenham

- NZME.