Rescue workers work to extinguish a fire at a collapsed building in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011. A powerful earthquake collapsed buildings at the height of a busy workday Tuesday, killing and trapping dozens in one of the country’s worst natural disasters. (AP Photo/New Zealand Herald, Mark Mitchell)By STEVE McMORRAN
Associated Press
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A powerful earthquake struck New Zealand’s already-bruised city of Christchurch on Tuesday, collapsing buildings, burying vehicles under debris and sending rescuers scrambling to help trapped people amid reports of multiple deaths.
The 6.3-magnitude quake struck the country’s second-largest city on a busy weekday afternoon, in contrast to a major quake that damaged Christchurch last September but caused no deaths when it struck before dawn on a weekend. Police said there were reports of multiple fatalities from the latest temblor, while Prime Minister John Key told Parliament details of the deaths still were too shaky to confirm.
Witnesses said the quake destroyed the iconic stone Christchurch Cathedral, its spire toppled into a central city square, and police said there was a report of two buses crushed under falling buildings.