The main hospital in CHCH has now apparently re-opened. There is an ambulance shortage and people are driving into the downtown area to help recover injured. Reports of fatalities unconfirmed so far. Many of the structures, the iconic ones that you associate with CHCH that survived the Sept quake, have been totalled or are badly damaged, such as the Cathedral. Its been a hot summer and there were bound to be many tourists and backpackers in the (relatively) small central business district at the time. And it's the timing that is really worrrying, with it happening just after lunch rather than the middle of the night as the Sept one was.
Some of the outlying areas like Sumner (anyone who has been there can picture the cliff faces) have become "unlivable", obviously due the instability of the terrain in the area.
apparently it was significantly more shallow (5km) of an earthquake event than the last one, presumably explaining the far more significant damage even though it measured at 6.3 rather than the 7.1 of september
police urging citizens not to help with removal of people from trapped areas/rubble, and i've seen at least one person on television reports being arrested for trying to help, but ulitmately endangering himself and others
There will be a lot of fatalities. That damage is horrific.
Thoughts are with the folks down there.
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This is just awful...
I've spent some time there and I love Christchurch. We're really getting fcked over by nature down this end of the world right now..
This one is a bad one. A lot of damage and casualties. The region was rocked with a major quake last year, but this one has dealt a much more severe blow.
Thoughts go out to those in NZ who are affected by this. Lots of coverage and concern on the T.V. in Japan now, looks pretty terrible from the first images. Hopefully they can find all the missing people.
I was in Christchurch just under a year ago. It is truly eerie to see a place that I have visited to be in such a devastated state. The city was so beautiful and the people so friendly, it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to NZ and AU. Our hotel (Heritage Christchurch) was actually right across the street from the now-spire-less Cathedral, and we'd walk past it each time we left the hotel.
Although they are reporting 65 confirmed dead, I would imagine that will increase significantly as there are a number of building collapses, including a multi-story office building. On a weekday, no less.
I was in Christchurch just under a year ago. It is truly eerie to see a place that I have visited to be in such a devastated state. The city was so beautiful and the people so friendly, it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to NZ and AU. Our hotel (Heritage Christchurch) was actually right across the street from the now-spire-less Cathedral, and we'd walk past it each time we left the hotel.
Although they are reporting 65 confirmed dead, I would imagine that will increase significantly as there are a number of building collapses, including a multi-story office building. On a weekday, no less.
I have also stayed at the Heritage a few times while in Chch. It gives me a knot in my stomach to see the Cathedral without it's spire. My thoughts are with the citizens of Chch.
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Dozens killed, approximately 100 estimated still trapped. Could have been a whole lot worse IMO considering its a city of 400,000.
Luckily NZ builds newer buildings with earthquakes in mind, and the people are prepared (as well as you can be) for events like this. It is tough to find the silver lining in a situation like this, but a less-prepared place would have been even more devastated.
Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand
