Strong earthquake strikes near Christchurch, New Zealand; unconfirmed reports of

[Guest guest]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/magnitude-6-3-earthquake-strikes-near-christchurch-zeal\

and-20110221-162107-954.html

Strong earthquake strikes near Christchurch, New Zealand; unconfirmed reports of

fatalities

By Steve McMorran, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – 12 minutes ago

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A strong, 6.3-magnitude earthquake rocked the southern

New Zealand city of Christchurch on Tuesday, seriously injuring people and

damaging buildings throughout the city.

Police said there were reports of multiple fatalities, but Prime Minister

Key told Parliament details were still too shaky for those reports to be

confirmed.

Live video footage showed parts of buildings collapsed into the streets, which

were strewn with bricks and shattered concrete. Sidewalks and roads were cracked

and split, and hundreds of dazed, screaming and crying residents wandered

through the streets as sirens blared throughout the city.

Christchurch Mayor Bob said he was on the top floor of the city council

building when the quake hit just before 1 p.m. local time, throwing him across

the room.

" 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. "

Radio New Zealand reported that a church near the city centre collapsed. The

station also said staffers in its Christchurch newsroom had to cling to their

desks during the shaking, with large filing cabinets toppling over.

" The details we have are extremely sketchy, " the prime minister told Parliament.

" The worrying fear, of course, is that this earthquake has taken place at a time

when people were going about their business — it is a very populated time, with

people at work, children at school. Sadly, I cannot rule out that there have

been fatalities.

" But we are aware of significant damage to buildings that had people in them at

the time, " he said.

Key said people were being told to get out of the city for their safety.

Other officials said there were unconfirmed reports of deaths from the

earthquake.

New Zealand police said in a statement that there were reports of multiple

fatalities in the city, including a report that two buses had been crushed by

falling buildings. The police statement said there were other reports of fires

burning in the city and people being trapped in buildings.

The airport was closed and Christchurch Hospital was evacuated. Power and

telephone lines were knocked out, and pipes burst, flooding the streets with

water. Some cars apparently parked on the street were buried under rubble.

" What I can see from where I am in the central city is that there are

significant amounts of additional damage, " said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor was centred 3 miles (5 kilometres)

from the city at a depth of 2.5 miles (4 kilometres). A 5.6-magnitude aftershock

hit shortly after 7 miles (11 kilometres) east of the city at a depth of 3.7

miles (6 kilometres).

" When the shaking had stopped I looked out of the window, which gives a great

view onto Christchurch, and there was just dust, " said city councilman Barry

Corbett, who was on one of the top floors of the city council building when the

quake struck. " It was evident straight away that a lot of buildings had gone. "

Christchurch has been hit by hundreds of aftershocks since a 7.1 magnitude

earthquake struck Sept. 4 last year, causing extensive damage and a handful of

injuries, but no deaths.

The city is home to about 350,000 people and is considered a tourist centre and

gateway to the South Island.

New Zealand sits on the Pacific " ring of fire " — an arc of earthquake and

volcanic zones stretching from Chile in South America through Alaska and down

through the South Pacific. It records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year — but

only about 150 are felt by residents, and fewer than 10 a year do any damage.

The Sept. 4 quake wrecked hundreds of buildings in the city, and caused an

estimated 4 billion New Zealand dollars ($3 billion) in damage. A strong

aftershock in December caused further damage to buildings.

The city was still rebuilding from those quakes when Tuesday's temblor hit.