Huge Quake Rescue Effort Under Way in New Zealand

February 22, 2011

Rescue workers work to extinguish a fire at a collapsed building in central Christchurch, Feb 22 2011

Office workers in Christchurch suddenly were thrown into an unimaginable and chaotic situation. Todd Lynch was among scores of people who escaped their crumbled offices. "God I do not really know what happened, and then I heard some people screaming out which are on the second and third floor and managed to pull them out," he said.

More than 100 people, including as many as 12 visiting Japanese students, were thought to be trapped underneath rubble as drizzling rain fell on the city at nightfall.

New Zealand's Civil Defense Minister John Carter says teams from other areas are converging on Christchurch. "The search and rescue teams from New Plymouth and Auckland will be down and operating in the next four or five hours, and of course the police in the meantime already have teams of people out there working to go through the damage to try and help and assist where they can," he said.

Slideshow of damage in Christchurch

On live television, a visibly shaken Prime Minister John Key said 350 military troops joined rescue efforts immediately after the quake struck, and hundreds of others would be pressed into action.

"I do not think we can go past the fact that we may well be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day. The advice I have had at the moment, I think the viewers will understand and appreciate that it's very fluid advice at the moment, but the death toll I have at the moment is 65, and that may rise. So look it is an absolute tragedy for this city, for New Zealand, for the people we care so much about. And it is a terrifying time for the people," he said.