At least 65 people have died after an earthquake struck Christchurch, on the south island of New Zealand, as stated by the Prime Minister. Rescuers are trying to free people trapped under the rubble; there have been many injuries.
There was a widespread damage caused by the earthquake having a magnitude of 6.3. Two buses got crushed as they were hit by the falling buildings. Streets were flooded by burst pipes and the power lines were also knocked out.
A survivor in Christchurch, Grant Beedie said that people dived down on the ground as there was no time to run and all one could do was to pray for some good luck.
It is further expected that the death toll will rise, and we’re witnessing the darkest day of New Zealand. As the tremor occurred during lunchtime it caused widespread damage due to activities at their peak in Christchurch.
According to the mayor of the second biggest city of New Zealand, at least 200 people are estimated to be trapped under the rubble. The deadliest natural disaster in the 80 years history of the country struck at 12:51, 10 km south east of the city.
The damage is much worse than the one which struck on September 4, having a magnitude of 7.1, which had no fatalities, but left two people seriously injured.
According to a resident, Jayden Katene, they have received calls from friends in the town who said that bodies are lying everywhere with many covered in bricks, rubble or just lying outside the shops.
Although the epicenter of the quake was farther away from the city and deep under the ground, it still caused an estimated damage of $3 billion.
TV pictures showed scores of collapsed buildings in the South Island city where nearly 400,000 people reside. People could be seen roaming around in distress.