Shallow aftershock rocks Christchurch as experts warn of more earthquakes

A car is trapped in water on Ferry Road after two magnitude 6.0 and 5.5 earthquakes struck on Monday in Christchurch, New Zealand.

THE probability of another major earthquake hitting the devastated New Zealand city of Christchurch in the next year has increased in the wake of this week's new tremors, experts said today.

The already traumatised South Island city was rocked by major quakes on Monday, with a 5.0-magnitude aftershock at a depth of just 1km rattling the nervous residents again early today.

Christchurch mayor Bob Parker later reported no new damage was caused by today's aftershock, which was followed by others including a 4.2-magnitude shake at 2.30pm local time.

The most recent quakes - which come after the February 22 disaster that killed 182 people - have been blamed on a new faultline in the region.

New calculations by GNS Science showed that from today until June 15 next year there was now a 30 per cent chance of a quake of between magnitude 6.0 and 6.9 striking the area, compared with a 23 per cent probability expressed last month,

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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/shallow-aftershock-rocks-christchurch-as-experts-warn-of-more-earthquakes/story-e6frf7jx-1226075675624

8.9 quake strikes Japan, triggers tsunami

Japanese television is showing horrific pictures of a wall of water swallowing everything in its path following a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan.

The quake has triggered a tsunami already that's washing away cars and houses inland in the north-east of the country.

A 10-metre tsunami warning has been extended for the coast in the region.

The tsunami warning was issued to most of the Pacific coast of the main island of Honshu, broadcaster NHK reported. People are being told to get to higher ground.

The quake was initially listed as 7.9 magnitude, then upgraded to 8.8, then 8.9 by US Geological Survey. A series of aftershocks followed including one of around 7 magnitude.

The epicentre of the quake is believed to be in the north of Japan, in the Honshu area.

The quake caused buildings to shake in the capital Tokyo, triggering at least one building fire, NHK television and witnesses reported.

The BBC is reporting it as a "mega-quake" and says there are many people injured.

Narita airport, Tokyo's main airport, has been closed. A number of people are believed to have been injured during a graduation ceremony in Tokyo when a roof collapsed.

The public broadcaster showed black smoke billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country have been halted.

NHK said a tsunami of 50 cm had already hit Japan's northern coast but the quake was big enough to cause a massive tsunami according to one expert talking to the BBC.

Television showed cars bobbing in water alongside fishing boats.

"The building shook for what seemed a long time and many people in the newsroom grabbed their helmets and some got under their desks," Reuters correspondent Linda Sieg said.

"It was probably the worst I have felt since I came to Japan more than 20 years ago."

The US Geological Survey verified a magnitude of 8.8 at depth of 24.3kms and located the quake 130.3kms east of Sendai, Honshu. The stock market extended its losses after the quake.

Japan's northeast Pacific coast, called Sanriku, has suffered from quakes and tsunamis in the past and a 7.2 quake struck on Wednesday. In 1933, a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people. Last year fishing facilities were damaged after by a tsunami caused by a strong tremor in Chile.

There are believed to be 3500 New Zealanders in Japan, and 1600 in Tokyo.

Civil Defence in New Zealand says a tsunami is possible in New Zealand, but it is still monitoring the situation and it would be 11 hours away.

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http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/8-quake-jolts-japan-triggers-tsunami-4058622

Christchurch earthquake: 'No more survivors'

No more survivors of the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, are likely to be found and the task is recovery, not rescue, say relief officials.

Key buildings in the city, struck by a shallow quake of magnitude 6.3 last Tuesday, are being scoured for bodies; the official toll is now 161.

The first foreign victims have been named - two Israeli tourists.

Power, transport and sewage systems are gradually being restored but rebuilding the city is a daunting task.

The Civil Defence national controller John Hamilton announced the shift from rescue to recovery "with considerable sorrow and frustration".

"We now face the reality that there is no chance that anyone could have survived for this long," he said.

Officials say the final toll could be as high as 240; the last person to be pulled alive from the rubble was found over a week ago, one day after the earthquake struck.
Hopes fade

The identification of dead bodies from the quake has been proceeding slowly; officials said seven more had been identified but the families were being informed before the names would be announced.

Two Israelis found in the rubble have been named as Ofer Levy, 22, and Gabi Moshe Ingel, 23.

Scores of foreign students - from Japan, China, Thailand and elsewhere - have not yet been identified.

Police Superintendent Sam Hoyle said 90 of the bodies found so far were pulled from the Canterbury TV Building and that it was important for families that they got the identities right.

Workers at three major buildings - the cathedral, the Grand Chancellor hotel and the Pyne Gould Guinness building - were getting closer to bodies believed to be trapped inside.

A tall reinforced steel frame has been locked onto the cathedral structure to make it safer for rescuers to seek the suspected 20 bodies there.
Timeball Station Lyttelton on February 25, 2011 The 135-year old Timeball Station in Lyttelton Harbour is at risk

"They've now started taking away beams and things from the bell tower, so we are at last going to see some movement in that area," said Superintendent Russell Gibson.
Timeball fear

Tens of thousands of city dwellers are still without power or sewage systems.

Rescue work is also being scaled back in Lyttelton, the harbour town near Christchurch, in favour of body recovery and the restoration of services.

The Timeball Station in Lyttelton is unstable and experts are assessing the extent of the "significant damage" to the historic structure.

It was built in 1876 by local prisoners and from then until 1934 a ball dropped from its mast on its stone tower, signalling the time to ships in the harbour.

Following restoration in 1978, the dropping of the ball resumed daily.

The port is operating at 40% capacity and the tunnel linking it to Christchurch is still only open to emergency vehicles.

Officials are still carrying out checks on people and houses.

"I suppose everyone's taking the double jeopardy approach, that if the doors are knocked on twice, that's better than not being knocked on at all," said Chief fire officer Mark Buckley.

On Wednesday, Police Superintendent Dave Cliff had warned that it might not be possible to recover all the dead from crushed buildings in New Zealand's second city.

Rebuilding costs are put at billions of dollars.

It is estimated that up to a third of the city's buildings have been, or will have to be, demolished.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12631119

Surge in births after deadly New Zealand quake

Christchurch Women's Hospital, which has experienced a surge in births after last week's 6.3-magnitude tremor

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — As many as 240 people likely died in New Zealand's devastating earthquake, but health services have also been stretched coping with a different problem -- a surge in new life.

Canterbury district health director David Meates said there had been a "real pressure" to deal with births after last week's 6.3-magnitude tremor, and that premature babies packed out Christchurch Hospital's neonatal unit.

"Earthquakes do tend to hurry things along for those intending to deliver," said Meates of the surge in births, which saw some 76 maternity patients hospitalized in the days after the February 22 quake.

So many births followed the deadly jolt that some babies had to be transferred to North Island hospitals while Christchurch Hospital put out a call for extra midwives from across the country.

An even greater spike was seen after last September's 7.0-level tremor, when 21 babies were born at the hospital in the following 24 hours, a record number for a Saturday.

"It's just one of those things. You could blame it on the full moon or the high tide. I think anecdotally people go into survival mode," Canterbury midwifery director Samantha Burke told local media.

Christchurch woman Jo Blackman visited her midwife just hours before the earthquake and was told not to expect her baby for a few more days. When the tremor struck, all she could think about was rushing through her shuddering house to reach her two-year-old son, Josh.

"I didn't even think about the pregnancy -- I just wanted to get to Josh," Blackman, 34, told Fairfax newspapers. "Then when my husband got back and we were looking at a few cracks in the house I suddenly felt my contractions."

Baby Alyssa was born at 7:30 pm as frantic searches continued for survivors in central Christchurch and as hundreds of injured people were tended on surrounding floors.

"It was just good to have a healthy baby girl born into the world when so many others were experiencing suffering and loss," she said.

Among those who went into labour during the quake was the sister of New Zealand soccer captain Ryan Nelsen.

Nelsen is making his way home to Christchurch, hoping to help in the recovery after gaining permission from his Blackburn Rovers.

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Two NZ earthquakes to cost NZ$20 bllion - PM Key

The two earthquakes that hit the New Zealand city of Christchurch are likely to result in an economic cost of about NZ$20 billion ($15 billion), Prime Minister John Key said on Monday.

The first earthquake, which struck on Sept. 4 and resulted in no fatalaties, is likely to have a final cost at about NZ$5 billion while the Feb. 22 quake is likely to be as much as three times the cost.

"At this stage the likely combined cost of the two earthquakes is in the order of NZ$20 billion," Key told a media briefing.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/28/newzealand-quake-idUSWLF00505620110228