From the Associated Press…
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand – A powerful earthquake struck one of New Zealand’s biggest cities Tuesday at the height of a busy workday, toppling tall buildings and churches, crushing buses and killing at least 65 people in one of the country’s worst natural disasters.
It was the second major quake to hit Christchurch, a city of 350,000, in five months, though Tuesday’s 6.3-magnitude temblor caused far more destruction than a more powerful September quake that struck before dawn on a weekend. An unknown number of people, including a dozen visiting Japanese students, were feared trapped in the rubble.
“It is a just a scene of utter devastation,” Prime Minister John Key said after rushing to the city within hours of the quake. He said the death toll was 65, and may rise. “This may be New Zealand’s darkest day,” he told TV One News.
