myBlessedHope

Another huge earthquake, the birth pains are intensifying…

Mr Parker said he did not want to overstate the level of damage “but I think it’s like an iceberg. There is, in a sense, below the visible line significant structural damage.”

“There would not be a house or a family in our city that has not in some way had damage done to their person and or their property,” Mr Parker said.

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Earthquake of 7.1 magnitude hits New Zealand city

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – A major earthquake hit New Zealand’s second biggest city Christchurch early on Saturday, bringing down power lines, ripping up roads and wrecking building facades, but authorities reported no deaths.

Authorities declared a formal civil defense state of emergency to coordinate recovery operations in the city, which has a population of about 350,000 people, after facades collapsed into streets, crushing cars and blocking roads.

Two men suffered serious injuries and police closed off the central business district.

The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and a depth of 10 kms (6 miles), hitting the South Island city and a large surrounding area of farms at around 4.35 a.m. local time (12:35 p.m. EDT Friday).

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Mayor: Quake hit city ‘like an iceberg’

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker is thankful there has been no loss of life but there had been considerable damage across the city and outlying areas.

The city has been left devastated after a massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck 30km west of the city at 4.35am this morning.

The quake was at a depth of 33km and was centred near Darfield, and has left large parts of the area without power, water or telephones.

Mr Parker said he did not want to overstate the level of damage “but I think it’s like an iceberg. There is, in a sense, below the visible line significant structural damage.”

“There would not be a house or a family in our city that has not in some way had damage done to their person and or their property,” Mr Parker said.

“Our thoughts are with our people.

“We know that a lot of people will be very nervous, deeply disturbed.”

Scientists have described this morning’s earthquake as the most significant since the 1931 magnitude 7.8 Hawke’s Bay earthquake.

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Huge earthquake rocks Christchurch

LATEST: Seismologists are warning Christchurch and Canterbury residents a big aftershock is probably still on the way.

Close to 20 aftershocks have rattled across the region since the 7.1-magnitude quake at 4.35am.

Most have had magnitudes between four and five, and three others have been of magnitude 5.2 or 5.3.

But GNS Science says a large aftershock of about one magnitude less – around six or a bit more in this case-  usually occurs after such a major earthquake.

“We haven’t had the six or so you’d usually expect after something like this,” spokesman John Callan said.

A magnitude six earthquake has 30 times more energy than a magnitude five.

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State Of Emergency After NZ Earthquake

The quake hit at 4.35am (4.35pm GMT) shaking, thousands of people awake, New Zealand’s National Radio reported.

Christchurch International Airport was closed after the tremor as a precaution, as experts prepared to check the runways and airport terminals, a spokesman said.

New Zealand sits above an area of the Earth’s crust where two tectonic plates collide.

The country records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year – but only about 150 are felt by people. Fewer than 10 a year do any damage.

The magnitude was revised downwards from an initial estimate of 7.4, US geological survey said.

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