Earlier today the New Zealand city of Christchurch was hit by a magnitude-6.3 earthquake that has resulted in the deaths of 65 people.
A state of emergency has been declared in Christchurch with the number of fatalities expected to increase. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said in a statement, “It is a just a scene of utter devastation… We may be witnessing New Zealand’s darkest day.”
“This is a community that is absolutely in agony. We just need this community, as it’s done before, and as it will do again, to come together, to check and support one another.”
Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said, “Everybody needs to understand that this is going to be a very black day for this severely shaken city. I’ve had reports of buses that are trapped under fallen buildings, car park buildings that have taken significant damage, collapsed or partially collapsed. In some of the inner-city streets we have people trapped in buildings.”
Our thoughts are with the residents of Christchurch and New Zealand at this time.
Donate to the Red Cross Appeal here: http://www.redcross.org.nz/nz
Go to Google Person Finder to get information on people who may have been in the area at the time of the quake http://christchurch-2011.person-finder.appspot.com/
Image by Richard Cosgrove / Christchurch Press via Reuters
