пятница, 25 февраля 2011 г.

Hopes fade in hunt for NZ quake survivors

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (UPI) -- Rescue workers toiled again Friday but hopes faded that more New Zealand earthquake survivors would be found. Officials said the death toll was at least 113.

About 200 people were reported missing after one of the country's deadliest earthquakes.

Two infants were among the latest victims identified following the 6.3 magnitude quake that laid waste to Christchurch, the country's second largest city after Auckland.

Rescuers worked under trying conditions but no survivors had been found since Wednesday, the day after the quake struck.

Authorities said hopes began to fade of finding any more people alive in the vast pile of rubble that much of the central part of Christchurch has become.

Civil Defense Minister John Carter described the devastation as "unbelievable," the New Zealand Herald reported.

Only a small number of the dead had been identified as of Friday. The victims included two babies, 9 and 5 months old.

City Superintendent Dave Cliff warned that rain could make the rubble even more unstable, further complicating search operations, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported.

"Rescue staff are operating in highly dangerous and volatile situations, and we are continually reassessing the risks," he said.

J.P. Morgan has estimated the earthquake damage so far at $12 billion. 

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