Earthquake New Zealand Christchurch Tuesday 22/02/2011

Earthquake 6.3 on the Richter scale shook Christchurch, many victims trapped in the collapse building.



Christchurch - An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale rocked the second city in New Zealand, Christchurch, on Tuesday (22/02/2011). According to U.S. reports Geological Survey, several buildings in town were damaged and several people injured. Witnesses said the streets move and buildings collapsed when the earthquake occurred at 12:51 local time. The quake's epicenter was about five miles from downtown with a depth of only four kilometers away.

Previously, Christchurc rocked by an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale on September 4, four years ago. A strong earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city, on Tuesday (22/02/2011), has been pulling down the building, causing "many casualties", and many people trapped under the rubble, and triggering a fire. The earthquake is the second earthquake that shook the country in five months.

Local TV stations showed a lot of people are removed from the rubble in the city center, although not clear if anyone is still alive. But the police report, "many casualties" after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that rocked at lunch time, which was busy. Unlike the more powerful earthquake last year, which shook in the morning, when offices, shops and empty streets in the city, this time the quake rocked at 12:51 pm local time (or Tuesday, at 6:51 pm) at a depth of only four kilometers , according to the USGS report, U.S. geological survey agency.


"The earthquake is very strong," said a priest outside the ruins of a cathedral in Christchurch on New Zealand television station. "I do not know whether any person under this rubble." The quake was centered about 10 km southwest of Christchurch, which has suffered extensive damage during the earthquake last September and a magnitude 1.7 but does not cause casualties.

"There are a lot of damage, destroyed our TV and there is a big rift in the house. Neighbouring fence destroyed," Nicholas said Hextall, who lives in central Christchurch, via telephone. Electricity and water have also been broken. New Zealand, which lies between tectonic rim Pacific and Indo-Australia, the average experience of more than 14,000 earthquakes a year, and about 20 earthquakes measuring above 5.0 usually.