'Deaths' after quake hits Christchurch in New Zealand

[Gerald]

Brendan Burns, MP for Christchurch Central: "The situation is pretty desperate"

Multiple fatalities have been reported after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island, police say.

The tremor, which hit at 1251 (2351 GMT on Monday) only 10km (6.2 miles) south-east of the city at a depth of 5km (3.1 miles), caused widespread destruction.

The fire service said numerous people were trapped in buildings, while the mayor said there was "great confusion".

The damage is said to be far worse than after September's 7.1-magnitude quake.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12533291

Note: 22 February 2011 Last updated at 03:05 GMT

[Feuer Frei!]

Yea, saw this on the news here today, not good. :cry:

[Gerald]

Yea, saw this on the news here today, not good. :cry:

No good news :06:

[the_tyrant]

Christchurch is a beautiful place.
Hope everyone's all right

[frau kaleun]

Many good thoughts going out in that direction.

[Feuer Frei!]

No good news :06:
Pardon?

[kiwi_2005]

At least 17 dead.

Since the first quake to hit Christchurch back in September 2010 there has been small aftershocks every couple of weeks. Warning signs. A big one was going to hit that city again sure enough it did. :nope:

Update: Radio says 67 dead :o

[Castout]

The depth is very very shallow. When one large one hits and you're in a building try to get out ASAP.

But if it is a strong quake people may find it very difficult to run away or even standing.

The safest is always to get out of building every time one started imo
I know experts would probably advise to find safe cover but imo out in the open will still be far safer.

[kiwi_2005]

The depth is very very shallow. When one large one hits and you're in a building try to get out ASAP.

But if it is a strong quake people may find it very difficult to run away or even standing.

The safest is always to get out of building every time one started imo
I know experts would probably advise to find safe cover but imo out in the open will still be far safer.

Even a small quake can be hard to run away. I experience a quake about 15yrs ago we were outside in the paddock when it struck the ground beneath our feet became waves it was like a moving ocean of grass and dirt, wasn't very big and lasted maybe 20-30seconds. It knocked us all off our feet when you tried to move you just fell over again.

[Castout]

Even a small quake can be hard to run away. I experience a quake about 15yrs ago we were outside in the paddock when it struck the ground beneath our feet became waves it was like a moving ocean of grass and dirt, wasn't very big and lasted maybe 20-30seconds. It knocked us all off our feet when you tried to move you just fell over again.

Indeed.

I've felt one or two very small ones. The building seemed to be moving. Then we could still walk or even ran out.

I've felt a far stronger one but there was no vertical movement then just the ground rapidly moving to all kind of directions but vertical as if a giant was playing with the ground. People got scared even just standing and quickly knelt down with hands on the floor until it was all over.

Vertical movements or wavy movements during earthquake are probably the most dangerous force of them all. Buildings are not designed to withstand vertical ground movement :dead:.

I'm sorry for those who lost their lives in Christchurch. It was just nature . . . . . and we are still very much vulnerable to its mercy. It probably would be best if the whole town moved to safer spot. Earth core is getting more active. Volcanoes are erupting everywhere so we should expect earthquakes to happen more frequent as the plates move a little bit faster.

[Gerald]

A strong earthquake kills at least 65 people in New Zealand's second-biggest city of Christchurch, with more casualties expected as rescuers work into the night to find people trapped inside collapsed buildings.

It was the second quake to hit the city of almost 400,000 people in five months, and New Zealand's most deadly natural disaster for 80 years.

"We may well be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day...The death toll I have at the moment is 65 and that may rise," said New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, who had flown to his home town of Christchurch, where he still has family.

The 6.3 magnitude quake struck at lunchtime, when streets and shops thronged with people and offices were still occupied.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/us-newzealand-quake-idUSTRE71L04320110222

Note: Update Record,WELLINGTON | Tue Feb 22, 2011

[papa_smurf]

Saw about this on the morning news, not looking good at all.

[bookworm_020]

75 confirmed dead, over a hundred still believed trapped. Many of the building were damaged in a large earthquake back in September. When this one hit, they couldn't take the strain and went down.

The toll was also increased due to the fact this quake happened during the day in business hours. The September quake, while stronger, happened at night.

My thoughts are with those "across the ditch" and hope that the death toll will not rise any further.:cry:

[Jimbuna]

Their having absolutely no luck over there at the moment....hoping the recovery is rapid and successful.

[Feuer Frei!]

My deepest condolences to those affected.

[Gerald]

Many parts of Christchurch were left in ruins after the quake

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has declared a national state of emergency as the death toll from Tuesday's earthquake in Christchurch rose to 75.

Police have said there is "incredible carnage right throughout the city", with "bodies littering the streets".

More than 300 people are still missing. Forty-eight were pulled out from collapsed buildings alive overnight.

The search has now been abandoned at one office block, but elsewhere a woman was rescued after more than 24 hours.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12547853

Note:Update Record,23 February 2011 Last updated at 06:12 GMT

[Castout]

300 people missing that's a lot for a city of 400,000 people.

[Gerald]

300 people missing that's a lot for a city of 400,000 people. True,:yep:

[kiwi_2005]

Its a complete utter disaster. Last night I was streaming the news footage as I can't get news channel where I live so have to watch the news from TVNZ website. Have to say I spent about 4hrs just watching and was gobsmacked.

If anyone interested go here: http://tvnz.co.nz/

[Gerald]

Not a pretty sight :nope:

[August]

Have all our Kiwi Subsimmers been accounted for?

My prayers go out to the people of New Zealand.

[Gerald]

New Zealand PM John Key: "200 are feared potentially dead"

Hopes are fading of finding survivors beneath collapsed buildings in the aftermath of Tuesday's earthquake in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.

Ninety-eight bodies have now been recovered and taken to a temporary mortuary. Prime Minister John Key said that number could rise substantially.

Police have said 226 people are missing - up to 120 of them at one site alone.

But they have also insisted it remains a rescue operation and that specialists are still hunting for signs of life.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12563177

Update Record,24 February 2011 Last updated at 08:40 GMT

[Jimbuna]

Have all our Kiwi Subsimmers been accounted for?

My prayers go out to the people of New Zealand.

Bloody right...take care you Kiwis, our thoghts and prayers are with you.

New Zealand PM John Key: "200 are feared potentially dead"

Hopes are fading of finding survivors beneath collapsed buildings in the aftermath of Tuesday's earthquake in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.

Ninety-eight bodies have now been recovered and taken to a temporary mortuary. Prime Minister John Key said that number could rise substantially.

Police have said 226 people are missing - up to 120 of them at one site alone.

But they have also insisted it remains a rescue operation and that specialists are still hunting for signs of life.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12563177

Update Record,24 February 2011 Last updated at 08:40 GMT
Thank you...Reuters

[Gerald]

Bloody right...take care you Kiwis, our thoghts and prayers are with you.


Thank you...Reuters You are welcome...

[Gerald]

The port of Lyttelton sits in a landscape of staggering beauty and from a distance looks deceptively tranquil.

But the town was the closest to the epicentre of Tuesday's quake.

Normally the port is reached from Christchurch by a tunnel that goes beneath the mountain range, but it has been closed to traffic all week because of damage from rockfalls.

Instead, we reached Lyttelton along the road that snakes through the valleys and follows the coastline of this beautiful natural harbour.

Just outside the port we saw one of the more startling sights of the Christchurch quake - a bungalow with a gaping hole through its middle that looked as if it had been hit by a missile rather than an earthquake.

At first glance, it was hard to make sense of what could have happened. But then, about 50m (164ft) further down the hill, we saw the massive boulder that had come hurtling down the escarpment and crashed through the core of the property.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12578016

Note; Update Record,25 February 2011 Last updated at 12:12 GMT

[kiwi_2005]

Some good news I suppose. Couple still get married after EQ. A marriage made in heaven huh? :DL

You can view the Bride and groom getting married here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/4704469/Quake-survivor-trapped-in-foetal-position-to-marry


A groom who feared his bride-to-be would not live to see their wedding believes her survival was a sign the marriage was destiny.
Emma Howard and Chris Greenslade tied the knot today at the Christ the King Catholic Church in Burnside, after Howard was rescued from ruins of the Pyne Gould building on Tuesday.
Howard recounted today how she was trapped "in a foetal position" for a terrifying 6½ hours after she was thrown from her chair when the 6.3 magnitude quake struck at lunchtime on Tuesday.
The accountant said her decision not to crouch under her desk saved her life as a section of the concrete floor from above crashed down on to her work station.
"I'm so lucky I didn't get under my desk," she told Radio New Zealand today.
"My desk was crushed by the corner of the concrete floor roof above me that came down."
Ms Howard said she thought she was going to die and went through "crying fits" during her ordeal.
She told how she and her six co-workers talked to each other and used the lights on their mobile phones to see in the darkness.
"There were so many things in between us, but we could see each other and we heard each other perfectly," she said.
Trapped in the rubble, Ms Howard texted her fiance, fellow accountant Chris Greenslade, who raced to the building from his nearby workplace.
"He just ran to me, expecting to find me standing on the street, ready to take me home" she said.
Mr Greenslade dug among the remains, pulling out other people as he searched for his bride-to-be.

He was photographed carrying an injured woman to safety in one of the first images that emerged of rescue efforts after the quake.
The bride, whose strapless gown revealed multiple bruises from the ordeal, was lost for words amid the media scrum.
"There aren't words,'' she said.
Greenslade said there was no thought of cancelling the wedding.
''For me, it was just natural. She survived that [collapse], so it was meant to happen,'' he said.
The quake caused few logistical problems for the wedding, outside the groom having to borrow a suit.
A friend of Howard's, who was also in the wedding party, was also trapped at Pyne Gould and survived.
''He was so lucky, he was dragged out by the fire crew as well. I've got my bride, I've got one of my good friends, we're just very lucky,'' Greenslade said.
The couple leave Sunday for a honeymoon in a secret location.
The priest leading the ceremony, Fr John Adams, said it was a bittersweet day.
''I've just been on the phone this morning, speaking to man who's going up to that same building to show his little toddlers where their mum is buried,'' he said.
''Just a couple of floors up, we're marrying a girl who escaped. It's especially poignant for that reason.''
Adams heard on Tuesday that Howard had been caught up in the building collapse, and the couple confirmed the following day the wedding was on.


''They asked could they still get married, and I said, 'Yes, of course'.
''I was really thrilled. It's the story of thing people hang on to in these times.''
The service would be altered to pay respect to those who had lost their lives, Adams said.
''Without wanting to sound too pious, Pope John Paul II once said, 'the final victory is always with love'.''
When asked how she was feeling as she prepared to wed, she told waiting media she was tired.

"The church is still in perfect condition and we have a marquee out here on dad's front lawn for the reception," she said.
"I'm fortunate that everybody we invited originally will be there."
Her anxious-looking father knelt down to fan out his daughter's train and said: "It's what dads do I guess.

[Jimbuna]

Some good news I suppose. Couple still get married after EQ. A marriage made in heaven huh? :DL

You can view the Bride and groom getting married here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/4704469/Quake-survivor-trapped-in-foetal-position-to-marry

Awesome!! :rock:

[Gerald]

An official inquiry as to why some buildings were given the all clear after September's quake is to take place.

New Zealand has held a two-minute silence exactly a week after the devastating Christchurch earthquake.

At 1251 local time (2351 GMT) on Tuesday afternoon, the whole country fell silent to mark the moment the deadly quake struck seven days ago.

Rescuers downed their tools for two minutes before resuming their work.

The death toll currently stands at 154, but officials say it could rise as high as 240 as dozens of people are missing; frequent aftershocks have not helped.

The cost of the 6.3-magnitude quake is expected to reach NZ$20bn ($15bn; £9.3bn).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12600213

Note: Update Record, 1 March 2011 Last updated at 06:32 GMT

[tater]

Very sad. Hope all the SSs there are well, as are their families.

Given that the magnitude of the quake was close to that of Kobe and Northridge, the buildings there did remarkably well (comparable to CA, not Japan).

I hope things get back to normal as soon as possible.