Breaking news 65 killed in ANOTHER Christchurch quake

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake ripped through Christchurch, New Zealand on Tuesday at 1pm killing at least 65 people (death toll expected to rise). This was then followed by a series of aftershocks measuring up to 5 on the Richter Scale leaving people on edge.

Impacts

It is still early to tell the full scale of impacts but these are some already found:

1. Cracked roads (raised up to a meter in places)
2. Phone lines are down
3. 80% of the city is without power
4. Fires are breaking out in some parts of the city
5. Water mains have burst causing flooding in some streets
6. Buildings have collapsed.

This follows the 7.1 earthquake in September where just one person died.

Why are more dead in this 6.3 earthquake then?

• The focus was much closer to the ground in this earthquake causing more damage.
• The epicentre was right in the heart of the city.
• The quake struck at 1pm when most people were at work in the city whereas the first quake struck at dawn when many were in their beds.

Some staff and students at NCBIS have friends and family in Christchurch and so our thoughts are with them.