Tweet
This looks to be a very serious earthquake as it happened at lunch time when many people were of course at work. News is slow to come out but looks like there could be a serious loss of life.
Alastair
Alastair
-
-
Re: Earthquake in New Zealand
Stunned residents survey quake damage
Source: ABC News
Published: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 11:57 AEDT
Expires: Monday, May 23, 2011 11:57 AEDT
Link to video... http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2011/02/22/3145410.htm -
Re: Earthquake in New Zealand
The following link has various eye-witness accounts and videos of the destruction in this very serious earthquake in Christchurch New Zealand.
Christchurch Earthquakeby ABC News, 2 minutes agoPhotos, videos and eyewitness reports from Christchurch, which was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.3 around 1pm local time.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/infograph...rch-earthquakeComment
-
Re: Earthquake in New Zealand
Multiple deaths as quake strikes Christchurch
Updated 30 minutes ago
Multiple fatalities have been confirmed after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch, bringing down buildings and buckling roads.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck near the city at a shallow depth of just four kilometres shortly before 12:50pm (local time) with the city at its busiest.
Police said Central City was being evacuated, with multiple deaths reported at several locations, including two buses crushed by falling buildings.
•Quake has caused multiple deaths
•Second major quake to hit city in six months
•Extensive damage in city, power cuts
•City has run out of ambulances
•5.6-magnitude aftershocks recorded
•A level 3 emergency has been declared
•Contact DFAT on 1300 555 135
Television pictures show bloodied people being helped along city streets by rescuers.
Police said there were reports of multiple building collapses, fires in buildings and the sounds of screams from people trapped inside. They said Christchurch Hospital has not been evacuated and was in operation.
Local television reports that bodies have been pulled from a local youth hostel.
Three triage centres have been set up in Central City, Sydenham and Papanui, and police are advising those who have evacuated their homes or buildings to report to their closest Civil Defence sector post.
Unconfirmed reports suggested there were no more ambulances available and that police had taken to evacuating those injured in their squad cars.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as "horrendous" and authorities in New Zealand have confirmed that there have been multiple fatalities.
Witnesses say people have been trapped by buildings brought down by the earthquake, and television pictures showed cars buried under piles of rubble and injured people being helped along the street.
One woman said it was the scariest thing she has ever been through.
"It was awful, it was the most frightening thing I've ever experienced. My husband wasn't in the house he was outside and he had been thrown into the vegetable garden," she told Radio New Zealand.
The NZ Herald was reporting a man and 19 of his colleagues are currently trapped in the Forsyth Barr building on Colombo Street.
Gary Moore told the Herald that workers were stuck on the 12th floor after the building's stairwell collapsed.
"We watched the cathedral collapse out our window while we were holding onto the walls," he said.
"Every aftershock sends us rushing under the desks. It's very unnerving but we can clearly see there are other priorities out the window.
"There has been a lot of damage and I guess people are attending to that before they come and get us."
ABC journalist Emma Pollard is in Christchurch and said the quake lasted for around 30 seconds to a minute.
She described hearing glass smashing and people screaming outside and said most of the historic buildings in the central part of Christchurch she walked through had been reduced to rubble.
New Zealand correspondent Dominique Schwartz said the quake brought down facades and buildings, and created flooding in main streets due to burst water mains.
Authorities said 80 per cent of Christchurch was without power, and emergency phone lines are also severely impaired.
Prime Minister John Key addressed Parliament in Wellington and said details were still "extremely sketchy".
"The people of Canterbury are once again going through a frightening experience," he said.
"The fear is that this quake has taken place at a time when Cantabrians are going about their business in a very populated time.
"I cannot rule out whether there have been fatalities or not."
Mr Key said the government was aware of significant damage to buildings that had people in them at the time, and promised to keep New Zealanders informed as information becomes available.
He said he would fly to Christchurch, conditions permitting, and has called an emergency cabinet meeting for 3:00pm.
Mr Key said communication with Christchurch officials was limited, and asked those able to leave the CBD to do so immediately.
'Dreadful aftershock'
Christchurch mayor Bob Parker says the earthquake felt at least as big as the large one which hit the city in September.
"A dreadful, dreadful aftershock, it felt more like a whole new earthquake to me," he said.
"It was very, very strong. I was up on the top floor of the council building. I got thrown quite a distance and I know of people in our building that have been injured and I've had some unconfirmed reports of some fairly serious injuries."
Christchurch Cathedral in the city square - already badly damaged in the quake last year - has suffered further damage and looked like completely collapsing.
"It is huge. We just don't know if there are people under this rubble," a priest standing outside the rubble of a damaged cathedral told New Zealand television.
On one main arterial road close to the city centre there is reportedly a huge hole in the ground which a truck has fallen into.
There were also reports of children at St Mary's primary school in the middle of the city bunkering down in the middle of a playground.
Many people are now out on the streets, and TV NZ is reporting that the Christchurch police station has been evacuated.
Twitter users have reported feeling the quake in Wellington and Dunedin.
Christchurch was struck by a major 7.1-magnitude earthquake in September last year. That quake was felt through much of the South Island and caused widespread damage.
The region has been struck by thousands of aftershocks since the original quake.
New Zealand, which sits between the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates, records on average more than 14,000 earthquakes a year, of which about 20 would normally top magnitude 5.0.
- ABC/wires
Tags: disasters-and-accidents, earthquake, new-zealand
First posted 3 hours 47 minutes ago
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...22/3145320.htmComment
-
Re: Earthquake in New Zealand
No sign of life in collapsed TV building
Updated 1 hour 9 minutes ago
Rescue crews have temporarily suspended the search at one of the worst-affected office buildings in Christchurch's devastated CBD, to concentrate on buildings where there is more chance of finding people alive.
75 dead, 300 missing in shattered Christchurch
More news and various news links at the main link below
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...23/3146607.htmComment
-
Re: Earthquake in New Zealand
Some NZ quake dead may not be identified: police
By Philippa McDonald, wires
Posted 2 hours 1 minute ago
Police in New Zealand say it is possible some of the victims of the Christchurch earthquake will never be formally identified.
The Canterbury Television (CTV) building in downtown Christchurch was engulfed in flames after collapsing in Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude quake, presenting a major challenge in identifying victims, police said.
New Zealand Police Superintendent Dave Cliff said DNA testing could put names to some of the bodies recovered from the building, which housed an English language school, but it was possible some would never be identified.
"Where there is intense fire, like there was at the CTV site, it presents real difficulties," he told reporters.
"I don't want to pre-empt what will happen, but we need to brace ourselves that that possibility does exist. We're not at that point yet, but it presents a risk."
The confirmed death toll from the quake stands at 147 with over 50 people "unaccounted for", police announced today, saying a previous figure of around 200 missing included confirmed fatalities.
A morgue has been set up at an army base near Christchurch and 166 specialists are examining the dead.
More disaster victim identification teams are flying in from Thailand and Britain, so far the names of only six victims have been released.
Superintendent Cliff says he understands that for the families, not knowing is agonising.
At the Pine Gould building, rescue workers are having to take extra care because of asbestos.
New Zealand Fire Service's Paul Baxter says it is a heavy and complex operation.
Christchurch mayor Bob Parker says he is hoping for a miracle that more would be found alive, even as aftershocks brought down masonry and sent rescue teams scrambling for safety.
"I will not stop hoping that we will find people alive in the damaged structures of our city - until I am told by the police and the urban search and rescue teams that no such optimism can exist any longer," Mr Parker told reporters.
Prime minister John Key has called for a two-minute national silence on March 1 as a sign of unity for the people of Christchurch, and to grieve for people killed in the country's worst natural disaster for 80 years.
"For now we must do all we can to show its people that all of New Zealand grieves with them," Mr Key said.
Meanwhile, Australian police officers have been patrolling the streets of Christchurch and arresting looters in the city centre.
They made eight arrests while patrolling the city overnight.
The head of the 300-strong Australian police contingent, NSW Police Superintendent Max Mitchell, says they may be needed beyond the two weeks originally anticipated and their mission may be extended.
"Look we're here initially for 14 days, that was our original deployment, there is now discussion in regards to a further deployment from Australia," he said.
This and other news on the earthquake at the link
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...27/3150083.htmComment
-
Re: Earthquake in New Zealand
The response from those in New Zealand and from overseas has been inspirational and tremendous.
It is 4th of March today and it has been absolutely amazing the help from everywhere to the people in Christchurch.
USAR teams have come from many countries and their work in rescue and recovery has been untiring. Also the fire service and Police.
They have worked long hours in the aftermath.
Likewise the hundreds of others helping - our Student Army, Farmers and others who have moved 220000 tons ( just on news now) silt in clearing. Red Cross Volunteers, Salvation Army volunteers involved in welfare and meals, water to the people of the city.
The Mayor of Christchurch Bob Parker has been inspirational and with fine leadership displayed - he has worked tirelessly to bring all forward.
Seen on TV3 news on Tuesday( 29th) was a concert held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Glasgow - a Scottish fundraiser for Christchurch.
Amazing and since then an amazing further fundraising which is understood has gone to Red Cross.
Yes it has been a terrible natural disaster. However there has been wonderful support from all over the world - stories of people just working together to help those affected through.Comment
Comment