State of emergency follows 7.0 quake in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, Sept 4, AFP A state of emergency was declared in New Zealand’s second largest city Christchurch after a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck before dawn on Saturday, causing widespread damage. Frightened residents fled from their homes to find roads blocked by the facades of buildings which crashed down and crushed parked vehicles, while roads were littered with glass.

There was structural damage to buildings throughout the city of 340,000 people, with gas leaks, ruptured water and sewerage mains, collapsed bridges and cuts to electricity supplies.Only two people were seriously injured, but Civil Defence officials said that had the quake hit in daylight, when there would have been thousands of people on the streets, the toll could have been much worse.Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said he was “horrified by the amount of damage” which daylight showed was considerably worse than first thought.

“We’ve decided to declare the state of emergency in the city. It just makes it a bit easier for us now to move people out of buildings if necessary, close streets down,” Parker announced on national radio.The quake, initially recorded at a magnitude of 7.4, struck at 04:35 am (1635 GMT Friday) and was centered at a depth of 16.1 kilometres (10.0 miles) some 30 kilometres (19 miles) west of Christchurch, the US Geological Survey said.“Oh my God.

There is a row of shops completely demolished right in front of me,” local resident Colleen Simpson told the Stuff website, adding that many people had run out onto the streets in fear.

Christchurch Hospital spokeswoman Michele Hider said two men in their 50s were seriously injured one was hit by a falling chimney and the other was cut by falling glass. Several people were treated for minor injuries from objects falling in their homes, while hospitals had additional doctors on standby because of the intensity of the quake and the extent of the damage.Police closed the centre of the city as looters targeted damaged shops, police Inspector Mike Coleman said. “There’s considerable damage there, and we’ve already had reports of looting.

Shop windows are broken and obviously it’s easy pickings for displays and things.”