A major natural gas leak that occurred in Saint John's uptown area early on Friday morning has been cleared up.

Acting Staff Sgt Geoff MacDonald said the accident happened shortly after 4 a.m. on Friday when a two-inch pipe was ruptured. Roughly 40 buildings were evacuated.

Enbridge Gas crews are pumping water out of a sinkhole where there was a natural gas leak on Friday morning. (Matthew Bingley/CBC)

At least three city transit buses were called in to move people out of the area, according to the Saint John Police officer.

Those people have now been allowed off the buses and are able to return to their homes.

All access from the uptown to the area around the natural gas leak were blocked off and barricades were up up on most streets along Union Street early on Friday.

But at 7:15 a.m., streets opened up in the south end of Saint John, except Crown Street at King Street East. There is where water crews are still excavating.

Electricity has been restored in the area.

Several city buses were used to move residents away from a natural gas leak in uptown Saint John on Friday morning. (Matthew Bingley/CBC)

Saint John police and fire crews are at the scene, along with officials from Saint John Energy and Enbridge Gas.

Enbridge Gas has capped the gas leak, which happened in a sinkhole.

City crews are still dealing with the water main break that caused the sinkhole.