6.3 quake hits New Zealand

New Zealand Earthquake 2011: Magnitude 6.3 Quake Shakes Christchurch, South Island (VIDEO)

First Posted: 02/21/11 07:15 PM Updated: 02/21/11 08:25 PM

A strong earthquake shook New Zealand on Tuesday afternoon, according to reports.

The 6.3-magnitude quake, per the USGS, shook New Zealand's South Island and its largest city of Christchurch at 12:50 p.m. local time.

The New Zealand Herald reported that the quake's epicenter was Lyttleton with a depth of 5 kilometers, though it was felt as far away as Wellington and Dunedin per Twitter reports. It shook the Canterbury region, which has a population of approximately 500,000. Radio New Zealand reports "that some people have been killed."

Radio New Zealand also noted some of the damage from the quake in Christchurch: a church collapsed, a bridge is impassible, the airport has been shut down and the mayor is urging people not to drive due to road damage.

HuffPost reader Laura Campbell submitted these photos of the damage in Christchurch. A local New Zealand media outlet posted this photo of damage to Chirstchurch's historic Christchurch Cathedral.

Videos of the quake are beginning to surface on YouTube. One video (watch below) shows shaking, presumably an aftershock, and fallen rocks among the damage outside Christchurch.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/2 ... 26283.html

Feb 21, 2011

N.Z. quake causes massive damage, many deaths in Christchurch

07:32 PM
By Michael Winter, USA TODAY

Christchurch residents gather at the city's historic cathedral, which was heavily damaged by the magnitude-6.3 earthquake that struck New Zealand's second-largest city Tuesday afternoon.

Associated Press Television News

Updated at 9:17 p.m. ET: Four more aftershocks have shaken the city, ranging in magnitude from 3.4 to 5.5, the New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences reports.

Four quakes registering magnitudes 2.5 to 3.7 jiggled the region Tuesday morning before the 6.3 shaker, the first at 3:25 a.m. and the last at 9:15 a.m., the agency says.

Updated at 9 p.m. ET: All flights have been grounded in New Zealand while officials assess the national air-traffic control system in Christchurch, the New Zealand Press Association reports. Planes are landing, however.

New Zealand Telecom says some of its phone networks have been badly damaged.

Updated at 8:56 p.m. ET: TVNZ has a live video stream.


Employees of Christchurch Hospital hurry past damaged buildings after the medical facility was evacuated. CAPTIONTV3 via Associated Press Television NewsUpdated at 8:39 p.m. ET: Police report that two city buses were crushed by falling debris and that "multiple" buildings have collapsed, leaving people trapped, Radio New Zealand reports. The city's main hospital is being evacuated.

Today's quake was weaker than the powerful magnitude-7.1 earthquake Sept. 4 and relatively shallow, 3.1 miles deep. It struck just offshore from the city on the east coast of the South Island.

Updated at 8:24 p.m. ET: Christchurch fire officials report "many fatalities," The Press says.

Updated at 8:07 p.m. ET: The Press reports "massive damage" and injuries in Christchurch, where people are reportedly trapped in downtown buildings and houses.

Witnesses said there are certain to be deaths.

The city's historic Anglican cathedral, its namesake, has been badly damaged. The paper has a photo that shows the cathedral standing, surrounded by rubble, its spire toppled.

Updated at 8:01 p.m. ET: The Star newspaper in Christchurch has photos of some of the damage caused by the quake that struck just over an hour ago.

Original post: An earthquake with a premilinary magnitude of 6.3 has hit New Zealand's southern island city of Christchurch, which was damaged extensively last year by a 7.1 temblor, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

The quake hit at 12:51 p.m. Tuesday local time (6:51 p.m. ET Monday), followed 10 minutes later by an aftershock registering 5.6.

No reports about damage or possible injuries.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... zealand-/1