65 Dead in NZ Earthquake

[Kasynlie]

The New Zealand city of Christchurch has been rocked for the 3rd time in just 5 months, this time a 6.3 magnitude with fatalities. The first quake, a 7.1-magnitude stuck the city on September 4, 2010 which was followed by a second quake of magnitude 4.9 on December 26, 2010.

The quake struck at 12:51pm (NZ time), which means many people were at work and on the streets, as opposed to the 7.1 quake which struck in the early hours of the morning. Many building which withstood the September quake have now been completely collapsed, including parts of the iconic Christchurch Cathedral.

The 5-storey PGC building which collapsed ending up like a pancake in which 200 employees work.



For the full story, plus photos and video please visit:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4688231/65-dead-in-devastating-Christchurch-quake

 

[Bryd0]

Oh dear... New Zealand has gone through a lot of trouble with the earthquakes, and I didn't know there was one that occured a day after Christmas

By the way, I didn't realise you posted this thread before me. My mistake >_<

 

[Kasynlie]

Yes indeed, and I just saw that these earthquakes could be a sign of more destruction to come, with an increased likelihood of Wellington (NZ's capital city) being struck by a major earthquake.

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/8886869/deadly-quake-could-be-sign-of-more-to-come/

 

[Jazzy]

This is terrible news. I am praying that our New Zealand members and their loved ones are all okay.

 

[Kasynlie]

Just a quick update for you all.

• 75 people are now confirmed dead
• 300 people are unaccounted for (this does not mean trapped or dead, but simply someone has reported them missing)
• NZ has accepted help from Australia, UK, United States, Japan and Taiwan with other countries willing to give help when needed.
• A national State of Emergency has been declared by the Prime Minister.

 

[Hulk's iconHulk]

I almost died in the damn thing.

 

[Kasynlie]

Another update:

• The number of missing is 226 with a confirmed death toll of 113. [*]80% of Christchurch homes now have power. [*]Earthquake Recovery Minister has confirmed that at least 25% of the CBD has been or will need to be destroyed.[*]80 teams are out in the suburbs undertaking building assessments. [*]The CBD remains in lockdown [*]Latest damage assessment put the bill for damage at NZ$10 billion