Christchurch Earthquake

[John McGillivray]

Reports of fatalities in New Zealand quake
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories...hquake-110221/

CTV.ca News Staff
Date: Mon. Feb. 21 2011 9:25 PM ET
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch, causing an unknown number of deaths and destroying several buildings.
Footage showed broken bricks and concrete littering cracked sidewalks, as hundreds of people sought help. The force of the quake destroyed a church in the centre of the city.
Todd Niall, of Radio New Zealand, said police had reported several deaths.
"All we can confirm on the fatality front is that police are reporting that in several locations across the city, there have been multiple fatalities," he told CTV News Channel by phone.
"For example, some of the incidents they are dealing with are a couple of buses that were crushed by falling buildings. We're also seeing people still climbing out of the rubble of some quite modern-looking buildings, as well as some older brick buildings, which had collapsed in some cases on cars. So there is going to be a significant toll from this quake, much more so than the one last September which occurred earlier on a weekend morning."
The government called an emergency cabinet meeting and Prime Minister John Key was expected to fly to Christchurch to assess the devastation.
Councilman Barry Corbett, who works on the top floor of the city council building, said many buildings had been completely reduced to rubble.
"When the shaking had stopped I looked out of the window, which gives a great view onto Christchurch, and there was just dust," he said. "It was evident straight away that a lot of buildings had gone."
The mayor of Christchurch, Bob Parker, said the force of the quake threw him across his office.
"I got down onto the street and there were scenes of great confusion, a lot of very upset people," he said. "I know of people in our building who are injured and I've had some reports of serious injuries throughout the city."
The quake also knocked out power to the city and broke water pipes, flooding streets.
The tremor hit five kilometres from the city at a depth of four kilometres, and created a 5.6-magnitude aftershock.
Christchurch has a population of about 350,000 people. The city has suffered hundreds of aftershocks since a 7.1-magnitude quake struck last September, but that quake caused no deaths.
"The first one happened early in the morning on a weekend when everyone was tucked up in bed, but this one happened in the middle of a busy summer lunch hour," said Niall.
"Buildings that came through the first quake relatively unscathed, some of them are severely damaged this time around."
With files from The Associated Press