Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Frantic hunt as NZ quake leaves 400 dead, missing
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Frantic hunt as NZ quake leaves 400 dead, missing
AFP - 37 minutes ago
Send
IM Story
Print
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AFP) - – Hundreds of rescuers swarmed over twisted and smoking buildings Wednesday in a frantic search for survivors after New Zealand's catastrophic earthquake left nearly 400 dead or missing.
Emergency services cordoned off central Christchurch, which was devastated by Tuesday's shallow, 6.3-magnitude tremor, to hunt for anyone still alive along with an unknown number of bodies buried in the rubble.
Prime Minister John Key declared a national emergency as 75 bodies were recovered, while about 30 people were rescued overnight. About 300 people are still missing after New Zealand's worst natural disaster in 80 years.
Key said the quake had "wreaked death and destruction on a dreadful scale" in the country's second biggest city, six months after a 7.0-magnitude quake shook buildings violently in Christchurch but miraculously caused no deaths. Related article: Miracle rescue offers hope in N. Zealand quake
The latest tremor toppled many buildings and left central Christchurch strewn with debris. The city's landmark cathedral lost its spire. Dozens of aftershocks rocked the city, much of which was without power and water.
Scene: Frantic search for survivors
Rescuers had to amputate limbs to free some survivors, but abandoned hope for any victims trapped in the flattened CTV building, which housed a school for foreign English-language students.
Twenty-four Japanese citizens were among the missing, including 11 students who were studying at the King's Education College inside the six-storey CTV building along with a South Korean brother and sister in their early 20s.
"This particular site, CTV site, had a number of overseas students in it and my heart goes out to those families that are away knowing that some of their children, family have probably been killed in this incident," said police operations commander Dave Lawry.
"The situation is that we don't believe this site is now survivable."
Focus: Seismologists on New Zealand quake
One resident said he saw a woman die with her baby in her arms when she was hit by falling debris in Cashel St Mall, two blocks from the CTV site. She was killed instantly, but the baby survived.
"We tried to pull these big bricks off (her)... she was gone," Tom Brittenden told the Christchurch Press.
Police Superintendent Russell Gibson warned that the toll was certain to rise as more than 500 emergency workers combed through shattered buildings, listening out for tapping, shouting and other signs of life.
"There is incredible carnage right throughout the city," he told Radio New Zealand. "There are bodies littering the streets, they are trapped in cars and crushed under rubble. Reax: World races to aid N. Zealand quake rescue
"We are getting texts and tapping sounds from some of these buildings and that's where the focus is at the moment."
Some rescue efforts were frustrated by a two-block exclusion zone around the city's tallest hotel, the Grand Chancellor, as the 26-storey building leaned precariously and looked close to collapse.
But there was applause when a woman wrapped in blankets emerged from the Pyne Gould Corporation building, some 24 hours after the quake rocked busy lunchtime streets at about 12:50 pm on Tuesday.
The survivor's sister, Sally Bodkin-Allen, said her sibling had ducked under a desk when the quake struck.
"It just seems like a miracle... it must be a very strong desk and she must have got under it very quickly," Bodkin-Allen told Fairfax media.
Resident Mark Maynard kept an anxious vigil outside the Pyne Gould building for his wife, who works on the first floor and called 20 minutes before the quake to say she had forgotten her mobile phone.
"It is still no good at the moment. I am hanging around waiting, what do you do?" Maynard told Fairfax.
The clock is ticking for those trapped, with New Zealand's emergency management chief John Hamilton saying rescuers may have just two or three days to pull out anyone still alive.
Facts: New Zealand
The quake was the deadliest to hit New Zealand since 256 people died in a 1931 tremor, and Key's declaration of a state of emergency will free up national resources to focus on Christchurch.
Leading disaster modelling company AIR Worldwide said the earthquake would cost the insurance industry up to NZ$11.5 billion ($8.6 billion).
Specialist teams from Australia, Britain, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States were due to join the rescue operation as an international effort swung into action.
New Zealand sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a vast zone of seismic and volcanic activity stretching from Chile on one side to Japan and Indonesia on the other.
Seismologists said that despite being smaller, the latest tremor was more destructive than the September quake because it was nearer to Christchurch's centre and much closer to the earth's surface.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Sri Lanka bans violent cricket World Cup song AFP - 24 minutes ago
S. Korea tightens checks on foreign marriages AFP - 29 minutes ago
Frantic hunt as NZ quake leaves 400 dead, missing AFP - 37 minutes ago
Thousands in India protest high food prices Reuters - 44 minutes ago
Renewed call for 'Jasmine rallies' in China AFP - 52 minutes ago
News Search
Top Stories
Japan logs first trade deficit in almost two years
Baby dolphins dying along oil-soaked US Gulf Coast
10 percent global rise in biotech crops: study
Libya live report
Oil prices soar amid Libya crisis
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Oral sex linked to cancer risk
Machu Picchu victim of own success: UN
Social media, cellphone video fuel Arab protests
Planet could be 'unrecognizable' by 2050, experts say
Libya live report
More Most Viewed »
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo!
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Entertainment
Photos
Yahoo! News Network
Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Wednesday, 23 February 2011 Iran ships pass via Suez, Israel says provocation
US-TECH Summary
Amazon takes aim at Netflix with streaming video
Key ministers stay in Egyptian cabinet reshuffle
US consumer confidence hits three-year high
New York oil prices jumps 8% on Libya worries
Iranian warships enter Med despite Israel warning
Next model of iPad will not be delayed: source
Android, video games dominate mobile confab
Sudan's parliament ends southern membership early
Erdogan warns Libya on violence as Turks await rescue
Egypt tells embassies to seek Mubarak asset freeze
England edge Netherlands in W. Cup cricket
Tensions rise over Afghan civilian deaths
Iran ships pass via Suez, Israel says provocation
|
Japan ruling party suspends 'Shadow Shogun'
Thai court frees seven protest leaders on bail
Algeria to end 19-year state of emergency
|
Mexican leader slams U.S. coordination in drug war
|
Hong Kong 'milkshake murder' defendant testifies
Protests turn Iraqi Kurd city into military zone
|
Nepal sends civil servants up Everest
Ton-up Ten Doeschate shocks England in World Cup
Pirates kill four U.S. hostages near Somalia
China silent on protest call, hails 'stability'
CBS sets deal with Netflix to stream some TV shows
|
Time Inc Chief Digital Officer Rothenberg exits
|
RIM says rivals will face same pressure from India
|
Apple deemed top of movie product placement charts
|
Sandra Bullock's ex-husband to pen memoir
|
Justin Bieber gets wax figure and cuts hair
|
Oscar fashion goes bold. Thank Lady Gaga!
|
Apple deemed top of movie product placement charts
|
Huawei wins preliminary order in Motorola trade
Defiant Gaddafi vows to die as martyr, fight revolt
|
Libya live report
Judge bars website from live TV, baseball streams
New Zealand quake toll at 75 as damage costs seen at $12 billion
|
Newsmaker: Vision quest haunts Apple CEO-in-waiting
Japan logs first trade deficit in almost two years
Baby dolphins dying along oil-soaked US Gulf Coast
Gun battles erupt in Ivory Coast's main city
|
HP stock slides on trimmed earnings forecast
10 percent global rise in biotech crops: study
Libya live report
Egypt swears in new ministers, Islamists dismiss
|
Wife held in burned Vietnam reporter's death: reports
Cellphone calls alter brain activity: study
Oil prices soar amid Libya crisis
Asia plans mass rescue of citizens from Libya
New York crude oil soars 8.5% on Libya crisis
Xoom tablet debuts Feb. 24 with $800 price
Shuttle Discovery 'ready to fly' on last space mission
New Zealand quake toll at 75, damage costs in billions
Cyber-titan Estonia drafts e-squad to secure election
Defiant Kadhafi vows to remain in Libya
Apple iPad launch due on March 2
China envoy arrives in Taiwan
Renewed call for 'Jasmine rallies' in China
Obama faces pressure to intervene in Libya
Huawei wins preliminary order in Motorola trade
Frantic hunt as NZ quake leaves 400 dead, missing
Xoom tablet debuts Feb. 24 with $800 price
Web becomes virtual crisis centre in NZ quake
Pirates kill four U.S. hostages near Somalia
NZ quake breaks off 30 million tonnes of ice from glacier
World races to aid New Zealand quake rescue
Man with the largest family in the world
Newsmaker: Vision quest haunts Apple CEO-in-waiting
|
Milan abuzz as Fashion Week kicks off
Apple iPad launch due on March 2: source
|
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Huawei wins preliminary order in Motorola trade
|
Chris Brown allowed near Rihanna, 2 years after attack
New York mayor bans smoking in parks, beaches
Judge bars website from live TV, baseball streams
|
Berlusconi's 'Ruby' expected at Vienna Opera Ball
Online retailer Amazon streams films
Seoul shares fall as techs, transporters weigh
Cellphone calls alter brain activity: study
|
New Zealand must expect higher quake toll-PM Key
Big fat Indian weddings could face the axe
HP trims 2011 sales forecast, shares plummet
|
Mideast oil price surge a 'big challenge': IATA
Oscar fashion goes bold. Thank Lady Gaga!
RIM says rivals will face same pressure from India
|
Apple deemed top of movie product placement charts
Pakistan
Justin Bieber gets wax figure and cuts hair
Typewriters still thrive in modernising India
BP deal to boost India's energy output: analysts
Data tweaks reflect a changing China: economists
Seoul shares post third straight session of losses
Oil higher as turmoil in Libya continues
PROFILE-South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak
Chris Brown allowed near Rihanna, 2 years after attack
|
Sandra Bullock's ex-husband to pen memoir
|
Oscar telecast nixing montages, elaborate tributes
|
New version of Justin Bieber film to hit theaters
|
Libya live report
British Gas owner Centrica signs major Qatar deal
Saudi king back home, orders $37 bln in handouts
Commerzbank swings back to profit
Libya live report
Music and mafia: life under Afghanistan's neo-Taliban
Greece hit with general strike over austerity measures
Protests turn Iraqi Kurd city into military zone
Greek police clash with anti-austerity protesters
|
Arsenal look for win in Premiership after FA shock
Huawei wins preliminary order in Motorla secrets case
Bahrain frees prisoners to mollify protesters
|
Seven Yemen MPs quit ruling party over violence
|
China pledges to revive stalled nuke talks
Saudi king back home, orders $37 billion in handouts
|
Asia plans mass rescue of citizens from Libya
Thousands march against India's embattled government
|
US talks with Myanmar's Suu Kyi about aid
Insurers may face up to $8 bln NZ quake hit
Ireland's Fine Gael extends lead: final survey
|
Book by Japan man accused of killing Briton sells well
Designers vie to showcase wares on Oscars catwalk
US diplomat, Suu Kyi talk about aid to Myanmar
Israel to Europe: Iran ships augur nuclear spread
|
Japan, S. Korea pray for N. Zealand quake students
Thousands march against India's embattled government
Pakistan choose to bat against Kenya
Toll Brothers posts third consecutive profitable quarter
Police say 16-year-old killed Florida officer
Union unrest spreads in 3 Midwestern states
It's not over 'til the tenor sings -- now in 3D
Dockers challenges men to Wear the Pants and pursue their dreams in new contest
Designers vie to showcase wares on Oscars catwalk
Emanuel takes Chicago without specter of runoff, budget issues loom
Digital China eyes iPad supplier rights
|
U.S. Supreme Court disallows lawsuit against vaccine maker
Stolen children leave mothers grieving in Pakistan
Justin Guarini to star in Green Day musical "American Idiot"
Ancient Inca grain is new health food darling
Diane Von Furstenberg embarrassed by comment that she was "disappointed" with First Lady Michelle Obama's fashion choice
U.S. stocks plummet on soaring oil prices, fall in home prices
DirecTV profit beats Street; shares rise
|
December freezes yield diminished sugar cane crop in Florida
Hynix says to invest $568 million to expand plant
|
Citigroup, BofA, 4 others cut HP price target
|
Cellphone calls alter brain activity: study
|
Digital China eyes iPad supplier rights
Hynix says to invest $568 million to expand plant
Oscar fashion goes bold. Thank Lady Gaga!
|
It's not over 'til the tenor sings -- now in 3D
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights