Deadly quake rocks New Zealand

[Paul (Pepe) Freemantle]

Wellington - A powerful earthquake struck New Zealand's already-bruised city of Christchurch on Tuesday, collapsing buildings, burying vehicles under debris and sending rescuers scrambling to help trapped people amid reports of multiple deaths.

The 6.3-magnitude quake struck the country's second-largest city on a busy weekday afternoon, in contrast to a major quake that damaged Christchurch last September but caused no deaths when it struck before dawn on a weekend.

Police said there were reports of multiple fatalities from the latest temblor, while Prime Minister John Key told Parliament details of the deaths still were too shaky to confirm.

Cathedral spire destroyed

Witnesses said the quake destroyed the iconic stone Christchurch Cathedral, its spire toppled into a central city square, and police said there was a report of two buses crushed under falling buildings.

Live video footage showed sections of buildings collapsed into the streets, strewn with bricks and shattered concrete. Pavements and roads were cracked and split, and thousands of dazed, screaming and crying residents wandered through the streets as sirens blared.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker declared a state of emergency and ordered people to evacuate the city centre.

"Make no mistake - this is going to be a very black day for this shaken city," he said when asked about possible deaths.

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.

Some people were stuck in office towers and firefighters climbed ladders to pluck people trapped on roofs to safety.

"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.

Two buses crushed

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

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.

[Michael Alexander]

Very sad indeed, the world is turning upside down...

What amazes me, is how people choose to live in Areas that are prone to Earthquakes...like San Francisco.....

[Bob Molloy]

As one of those people living in the Shaky Isles I take your point, Mike.
Good advice too for the people of Tulbagh-Ceres in September, '69 when a big shake - 6.9 on the Richter - wiped out most of the housing in those towns, including quite a few historic buildings. Google "Tulbagh Earthquake" for a backgrounder.
The same quake also the rattled the cages of a few Capetonians. The aftershocks had the Cape's drive-in cinemas - now there's a piece of obsolete technology - in a panic for weeks. It also upset those nice people who gave us that atomic power station at Koeberg, right in the heart of the Cape. Not so much the quake but more because they'd just spent a lot of money and much public relations spin boasting that drill samples of the construction site had come up with sandstone cores showing no earth movement for thousands of years.
I got to Tulbagh within an hour of the quake to cover it for the Cape Times. My strongest memory of that night was driving over the pass between hillsides ablaze from bushfires on either side and dodging rocks the size of large trucks as they thundered down the slopes. My photographer and I got through by swearing loudly at every rock but when we got to Tulbagh we found everyone out on the streets praying. I often wondered since which technique was more effective. 
As for choosing a nice quiet, solid piece of earth to live on, it certainly helps to stay away from the Rim of Fire. But, as Tulbagh discovered, it's no guarantee.
Hope you are well stocked up on tinned food, water and candles. You can get them delivered from your nearest Spar store. Oh, before I forget, just ensure your house isn't built on sand. Earthquakes tend to stir it into a kind of liquid soup in which everything sinks without trace.
Happy birthday, Oranjemund.

[Paul (Pepe) Freemantle]

Hi Bob, I still remember the Tulbagh/Ceres quakes very clearly. We were in boarding school (Huguenot High Wellington) at that time and the quake struck just before 10 that night. We all ran out of our rooms in our pyjamas and met and sat with the girls outside. It was a frightening experience, believe me. Oppie, Gus and the others will remember that night. 

[Michael Alexander]

At that time, my folks were living in Fishhoek , father always recalls how the quake could be felt down on the south peninsula ....... although no damage....

I reckon Omund is quite safe from this force of nature, but often when I am down at the beach, wonder what would happen if this part of the african coastline if a tsunami had to strike.... Omund is only about 6m above the sea level......

[Paul (Pepe) Freemantle]

I would hate to know what would happen to OM Mike. I think it would cause major damage as the town is not too far from the sea either. With that huge force and waves, it could easily reach the town.

[Paul (Pepe) Freemantle]

Christchurch - Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker declared a state of emergency and ordered people to evacuate the city centre after a massive quake devastated the city.

Troops were deployed to help people get out and to throw up a security cordon around the stricken area, said Deputy Prime Minister Bill English.

A powerful earthquake collapsed buildings at the height of a busy workday in New Zealand's city of Christchurch, killing at least 65 people and trapping dozens on Tuesday in one of the country's worst natural disasters.

"It is a just a scene of utter devastation," Prime Minister John Key said after rushing to the city within hours of the quake. He said the death toll was 65, and may rise. "This may be New Zealand's darkest day," he told TV One News.

It was the second time a major quake hit the city of 350 000 in five months. Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude temblor struck closer to downtown than a quake that heavily damaged Christchurch last September but caused no deaths when it struck before dawn on a weekend.

Video footage on Tuesday showed some multistory buildings collapsed in on themselves, and others with walls that had collapsed into the streets, strewn with bricks and shattered concrete.

Airport closed

Sidewalks and roads were cracked and split, and thousands of dazed, screaming and crying residents wandered through the streets as sirens blared. Groups of people helped victims clutching bleedings wounds, and others were carried to private vehicles in makeshift stretchers fashioned from rugs or bits of debris.

The spire of the iconic stone Christchurch Cathedral toppled into a central city square.

The airport was closed, and Christchurch Hospital was briefly evacuated before it was deemed safe and patients were returned. Power and telephone lines were knocked out, and pipes burst, flooding the streets with water. Some cars parked on the street were buried under rubble.

Some people were stuck in office towers and firefighters climbed extension ladders to pluck people trapped on roofs to safety. A crane lifted a team of rescuers on a platform to one group of survivors in a high-rise. Plumes of gray smoke drifted into the air at several points around the city from fires burning in the rubble.

Key held an emergency Cabinet meeting then rushed to the stricken city to observe the scene.

He said eight or nine buildings had collapsed, and that officials were working as fast as they can to free an unknown number of people who were trapped.

Unknown number of people trapped

New Zealand police said in a statement that reports of fatalities included that two buses had been crushed by falling buildings.

Gary Moore said he and 19 other colleagues were trapped in their twelfth floor office after the stairwell collapsed in the quake. He did not know if people on other floors were trapped.

"We watched the cathedral collapse out our window while we were holding onto the walls," Moore 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."

The multistory Pyne Gould Guinness Building, housing more than 200 workers, collapsed and an unknown number of people are trapped inside. Television pictures showed rescuers, many of them office workers, dragging severely injured people from the rubble. Many had blood streaming down their faces. Screams could be heard from those still trapped.

Parker, the mayor, said he was on the top floor of the city council building when the quake hit just before 13:00 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."

Two aftershocks

The US Geological Survey said the temblor was centred 5km from the city at a depth of 4km. Two large aftershocks - one magnitude 5.6 and another 5.5 - hit the city within two hours, and officials warned people to stay away from damaged buildings because of the danger of further collapses.

"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."

A search and rescue team was being flown in from Australia to help in the recovery, and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she had offered Key any other support he requested.

The USGS said the latest quake was part of the "aftershock sequence" following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake on September 4 last year. That quake wrecked hundreds of buildings, inflicted an estimated $3bn in damage, but caused no deaths.

A strong aftershock in December caused further damage to buildings. The city, considered a tourist centre, was still rebuilding from those quakes when Tuesday's temblor hit.

The USGS said the latest quake hit "significantly closer to the main population centre of Christchurch" than the September quake, which was centred 40km west of city.

"The critical issue with this earthquake was that the epicentre was at shallow depth under Christchurch, so many people were within 10 to 20km of the fault rupture," said Gary Gibson, a seismologist at Australia's Melbourne University.

"Its effect depends on how close it is, and ground shaking will be severe within 10 to 20km of the rupture," he said.

[Michael Alexander]

Following is a chronology of cellphone communication between Louise Amantillo, missing in the rubble of a quake-collapsed building in New Zealand, and her parents in the Philippines as dictated by her mother, Linda Amantillo.

February 22

12:51 - Magnitude-6.3 earthquake strikes New Zealand city of Christchurch.

Louise texts:

13:50 - "Mommy, I got buried."

14:31 - "Mommy, I can't move my right hand."

Between 14:31 and 14:39 - Louise manages a brief cell phone call to say: "Mommy, it's painful already. Please help me, please have me rescued." Linda Amantillo passes the phone to the girl's father, Alexander Amantillo, but the signal is cut before he hears anything. The mother later says that "Her voice was shaking, like she was really scared. I know she was in pain."

Louise texts:

14:39 - "I got pinned. I'm hurt in this position."

14:45 - "I have not yet been rescued. It's painful already."

14:52 - "It's still shaking. I'm pinned."

15:08 - "There is no rescue in my area."

15:10 - "The smoke is overwhelming."

Between 15:10 and 15:29 - Louise's parents send a text: "Where were you trapped?"

Louise texts:

15:29 - "Right side CTV area."

15:29 - "Right facing Madras St."

15:32 - "Cor. Madras St. and Chassel St. Please make it quick."

Later on Tuesday - Linda Amantillo tries to call her daughter but there is only a recorded response asking caller to leave a message.

[Paul (Pepe) Freemantle]

Hell Mike, that is so sad to read. I can just imagine the thoughts and feelings. Eish, what a tragedy GOD BLESS them ALL.