Auckland CBD in lock down following 'scary tragedy'

BREAKING NEWS: The Auckland CBD including the Auckland Sky Tower New Zealand's biggest building is in lock down following what residents of Auckland are calling a 'scary tragedy'.

Police in the centre of Auckland have cordoned off several streets after a serious incident 54 floors up the Sky Tower.

A man, who it's understood may have been taking part in a SkyWalk or controlled base jump, unclipped his harness and refused to leave the edge of the platform.

Fifty-four levels up, the man dangles his legs from the country's tallest building. Nearby is the platform for the Sky Tower SkyJump and SkyWalk.

Witnesses say they watched in horror as he unclipped his harness.

Police have released a statement saying it was “a serious and ongoing incident”.

Officers were negotiating with the man while surrounding streets were cordoned off amid warnings they would remain closed until further notice.

They included the busy CBD routes of Victoria St West and Federal St. The traffic disruption extended to the buses, with the diversion of services based in the Sky building.

It's the second time police have had to cordon off the area while negotiating with a member of the public using the tower.

In September 2010, they spent nearly four hours persuading a SkyWalk customer to return inside. He had been harnessed and was later questioned by police and mental health experts.

SkyCity declined to comment about the latest incident, saying it was a police operation.

But there are still serious questions about how a member of the public was able to get loose 192 metres up the Sky Tower.

This is breaking news, we will update you on this as we get it, more to follow...