A bloodied woman is rescued from an office building. (REUTERS)
The steeple of Christchurch Cathedral lies crumbled in a public square this morning. (REUTERS)
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — At least 65 people were confirmed dead in a massive earthquake that devastated New Zealand’s second largest city, Christchurch, today.
“We may be witnessing New Zealand’s darkest day,” Prime Minister John Key said. “This is a community that is absolutely in agony.
He described Christchurch as “a scene of utter devastation.”
Christchurch’s mayor, Bob Parker, told residents to prepare for the worst and said there were between 150 and 200 people trapped in buildings across the city.
Local resident Jaydn Katene told the New Zealand Herald, “We’ve had friends in town call us and say there are just bodies lying around; lots of dead bodies outside shops just lying there just covered in bricks.
“The roads are completely torn up; sewage coming up and flooding. It’s crazy.”
Nine aftershocks had already been recorded barely three hours after the 6.3 tremor hit at 12:51 pm local time.
The quake left scenes of destruction across a city that had barely recovered from a massive quake last September.
“Multiple fatalities have been reported at several locations in the central city, including two buses crushed by falling buildings,” police said in a statement.
Nearby Lyttelton, 7.5 miles southeast of Christchurch, with a population of about 3,000 people, was described as “unlivable” by a TV3 reporter. Sixty percent of buildings in the main street of the town were destroyed.
Parker declared a state of emergency in Christchurch, saying. “Everybody needs to understand that this is going to be a day of very black news.”
Parker told TVNZ he had been thrown across his office by the quake.
“I looked out over the city once I got up and I could see clouds of dust from buildings collapsing. I could hear screams from the streets,” he said. “I got down onto the street and there were scenes of great confusion, a lot of people crying.”
Stunned residents gathered in groups — some sobbing, others nursing wounds, others doing their best to help, while all were urged to stay away from buildings at risk of further collapse.
Still more were worriedly trying to get across town, to check on children at schools and other loved ones at home and work.
Around the city, people could be heard screaming from partially collapssed buildings.