50 Buildings Collapse in Christchurch’s Latest Quake

Added by Annika L. Krugel on June 13, 2011

Christchurch has been rocked by two more earthquakes, resulting in more than 50 buildings collapsing as well as causing disruptions to electricity and water supplies in the city.

 

 

New Zealand’s earthquake monitoring service, GNS Science, said that a series of powerful earthquakes hit Christchurch on Monday, one of which measured 6.0 on the Richter scale, and although the quakes were “within forecasted range” they expect that a new cycle of heavy quakes could hit the the city already scarred by a massive 6.3 earthquake in February that killed 181 people.

GNS’s Kelvin Berryman told AAP: “This size of events is likely to produce its own aftershock sequence, therefore rejuvenating aftershock activity at least in the short term… We would expect a number of aftershocks in the magnitude 4.0 to 5.0 range on the coming days and weeks.”

According to David Coetzee, controller with the National Crisis Management Centre, there were no fatalities following the latest quake, although at least 10 people had been injured.

The central city’s “red zone” was again the worst hit area. Thankfully the area has been off-limits to the public since February’s quake, contributing to Monday’s lack of fatalities.

Some 50 buildings in the area that were already weakened by the earlier quakes toppled during Monday’s earthquake: “They were falling into the road, literally falling around us,” said Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority’s demolitions manager Warwick Isaacs.