Christchurch NZ reeling after massive earth quake
Philadelphia Fight Rugby News and Press
Photo By David Wethey, AP
Debris crush a car outside the Christchurch Catholic Cathedral after an earthquake rocked Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011. The 6.3-magnitude quake hit at the height of a busy workday, toppling tall buildings and churches, crushing buses and killing at least 65 people in one of the country's worst natural disasters.
The Philadelphia Fight offer our thoughts and prayers to our friends and their families after the massive quake in Christchurch New Zealand yesterday.
By Laura Bly, USA TODAY
UPDATED, Tuesday 6:30 a.m.
Less than six months after a 7.1 earthquake hit the southern New Zealand tourism center of Christchurch, a 6.3 temblor three miles from the city has caused at least 65 deaths, scores of injuries and massive damage, with Prime Minister John Key calling the event "New Zealand's darkest day."
More than 100 people are still missing after the quake, which hit at at 12:51 p.m. Tuesday local time (6:51 p.m. ET Monday) and was followed by at least a dozen aftershocks, including one registering 5.9. The spire of city's historic Anglican cathedral and namesake crashed to the ground, roads buckled and police were evacuating the city center, which remains under a state of emergency.
Police confirm
fatalities at several locations in the central city, including two buses crushed by falling buildings, and bodies have been seen being taken out of a damaged youth hostel.
The city's airport, home to the national air traffic control center, remains closed. Flights were temporarily grounded across the country yesterday, but
the New Zealand Tourist Board noted that all other airports have reopened and all areas outside Canterbury remain operational.
Situated on the Avon River and considered the most English of New Zealand's cities, Christchurch is known for its Gothic structures and is a major gateway to the mountains and fjords of the South Island, which is in the midst of the summer high season.
Ironically,
a recent Bloomberg report noted that New Zealand's economy "will likely rebound from the verge of a recession and expand," buoyed by earthquake reconstruction from the September temblor and a tourism boost from this year's Rugby World Cup, expected to draw 85,000 visitors to a country of 4.4 million.
For updates, check the New Zealand Herald's
live blog.
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