WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A powerful earthquake struck New Zealand’s alreadybruised city of Christchurch today, killing at least 65 people and sending rescuers scrambling to help people trapped under collapsed buildings.
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit the country’s second-largest city around lunchtime, collapsing buildings and sending bricks and other heavy debris toppling into busy city streets. It was the second major quake to strike Christchurch in the past five months.
Prime Minister John Key told reporters that the death toll was at least 65 and was expected to rise further.
Live video footage showed sections of buildings collapsed into the streets strewn with bricks and shattered concrete. 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 pieces from debris.
Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker declared a state of emergency and ordered people to evacuate the city center. Troops were deployed to help people get out and to throw up a security cordon around the stricken area, Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said.
“Make no mistake - this is going to be a very black day forthis 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.
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.
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 whether 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 were 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 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.”
The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor was centered three miles from the city at a depth of 2.5 miles. A 5.6-magnitude aftershock hit shortly afterward seven miles east of the city at a depth of 3.7 miles.
“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.” Information for this article was contributed from Christchurch by Joe Morgan of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 02/22/2011