Major Earthquake In New Zealand Causes “Extensive Damage,” Say Authorities

New Zealand’s second-largest city, Christchurch, was hit with a massive 7.2 Richter-scale earthquake earlier this afternoon (4:35 AM Saturday local time), and authorities are reporting that the damage in the city is “extensive,” with several major buildings either in complete collapse or close to it.

NBC is reporting that, while there was “no immediate danger” of a tsunami, the damage on the land from the already occurring quake could continue due to aftershocks. For now, the the city of about 340,000 must contend with several collapsed buildings and the severe limitation of transport in the area, including the temporary closing of Christchurch Airport and the closing of several roads. Power has also been cut in most of the area, and telephone lines are down.

Fox News reports that, in terms of the human costs, “there were no immediate reports of injuries, though some residents there said buildings had collapsed and power lines were severed,” and while New Zealand registers about 14,000 earthquakes per year, most are not severe, and “the last two major earthquakes did not result in any casualties.”

Update: NBC via their Breaking News Twitter account reports: “Hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to main Port of Lyttelton after N.Z. quake, port CEO says– Radio New Zealand.”

Meanwhile, TV reports were mostly limited to the live coverage by CNN when the story broke– below is Rick Sanchez’s report:



[Photo via NBC]

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