New Zealand Prime Minister John Key confirmed that 71 people were killed during Tuesday’s earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The Prime Minister warned New Zealanders that the death toll would rise as more bodies are recovered from the rubble.
The 6.3-magnitude quake devastated New Zealand’s second-largest city, reducing hundreds of buildings to ruins. Hundreds of people were also believed to be trapped among the city’s damaged and collapsed buildings.
Rescuers continue to comb through the wreckage, but no more survivors have been found. The earthquake has injured an estimated 2,500 people and seriously injured 164 people.
Even more people have been displaced by the quake and forced into local shelters, including tourists moved from their hotels. Eighty percent of Christchurch is still without power today and half the city lacks running water.
Tuesday’s quake is expected to be New Zealand’s second deadliest natural disaster on record. In 1931, a quake killed 256 people in Napier, New Zealand.
By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.
Related Link: Reuters
Related Links on PeterGreenberg.com:
- Australia & New Zealand Travel section
- New Zealand Earthquake Smashes Christchurch, Dozens Dead
- Off The Brochure Travel Guide: Christchurch, New Zealand
- Natural Disasters section
