PM: 'This may be New Zealand's darkest day' as quake kills 65

CNN News, by the CNN Wire Staff, February 22, 2011

Rescue workers search for survivors of the earthquake through debris on
February 22, 2011 in Christchurch, New Zealand

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• USGS says quake is part of "aftershock sequence" of the September temblor
• A congressional delegation was in the city for a joint U.S.-New Zealand conference
• At least 65 people are killed
• Frantic rescuers scramble to reach those trapped

(CNN) -- A powerful earthquake ripped through Christchurch, New Zealand, on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 65 people as it toppled buildings, buckled roads and damaged cathedrals.

"This is just heartbreaking," said New Zealand Prime Minister John Key during a trip to the area to survey the damage from the 6.3-magnitude quake. "This may be New Zealand's darkest day."

Frantic rescuers scrambled to reach those trapped in the rubble hours after the earthquake struck. Scores of dazed, bleeding residents wandered streets strewn with debris and chunks of concrete.

A woman atop a pile of rubble tearfully pleaded the crowd to help her.

"They are coming for you," a bystander said.

RELATED TOPICS

• Earthquakes
• Christchurch
• New Zealand

The quake, which struck during the city's lunchtime rush, was followed by a series of aftershocks.

Key said the priority was to rescue people trapped in buildings. The number of injuries was unclear, but the final death toll may be much higher, according to authorities.

Police, military and rescue crews had been dispatched from all over the country to help, the prime minister said.

The quake ripped the facade of the iconic Christchurch Cathedral. At the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, piles of stone sat atop crushed chairs on the floor as a light shone through a collapsed tower above the sanctuary.

Laura Campbell said she was at work at the bottom of a six-story building when the earthquake struck. She described seeing "windows blowing out, bricks falling down, people screaming, the whole nine yards."

"It was bloody serious," said Campbell, who was trying to walk home. "I'm worried about what I'm going to find down the road."

The New Zealand Herald reported that the quake knocked out phone lines, including the city's emergency 111 service. The temblor cracked roads and broke water mains, flooding several streets. About 80 percent of the city lost power, TVNZ reported.

A congressional delegation was in the city for a joint U.S.-New Zealand conference hours before the quake struck.

"Having experienced received the warm reception of the people of Christchurch at the Partnership Forum only hours before the earthquake struck makes this disaster all the more personal and poignant," said delegate Donald Manzullo, chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

Philip Gregan said he was attending the conference when the earthquake struck.

"I'm seeing a lot of damage in buildings. I've seen one collapsed bridge and there's a lot of water from broken water mains," he said. "I saw one (injured) person in the back of a police car and one of our colleagues saw a person crushed by falling debris."

New Zealand's transit authority said it had been unable to reach its staff in Christchurch and at the Lyttleton Tunnel, which is near the epicenter.

Witness Gavin Blowman said he ran into the street when the earthquake struck.

"It felt like I was running on jelly," he said. "We saw a giant rock tumble to the ground from a cliff -- a rock that had been there for millennia. It fell on the RSA (Returned Services Association, a veterans' association) building -- it was terrifying."

The city's airport said on its website that it was closed until further notice.

All planes inbound for the airport were being diverted, and no planes were allowed to take off. No one was injured at the airport, an employee said. He did not give his name and wanted to clear the phone line to continue emergency work.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker told Radio New Zealand that the rumbling tossed him across the room. He said the streets were jammed as people tried to get out of the city, and urged people to avoid the water supply.

"We've been through this before this once, we now need to think what we did at that time," he said.

Parker later declared a state of emergency in Christchurch.

Civil defense forces had cordoned off the city center, said John Carter, the minister of civil defense.

Carter said the quake initially disrupted communications between government agencies, but they had been restored. However, he urged city residents to send text messages rather than use their cell phones to prevent lines from being overloaded.

"This is about saving lives and we need those lines as open as possible," Carter said.

Southern New Zealand has been hit by a series of quakes since September 4, when the area was shaken by a 7.1-magnitude temblor that authorities said was the most damaging quake in the region since 1931. The earthquake struck in the predawn hours, with the deserted streets helping keep the injuries to a minimum.

The United States Geological Survey said the latest quake was part of the "aftershock sequence" of the September earthquake.

There were no deaths from that quake.

The quake struck in the "worst possible location," said Kevin Fenaughty, data center manager for GNS Science -- an earth science research institute.

"It's a nightmare," he told the Herald.. "A lot of people were just getting back on their feet after the original quake."

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