The first funeral for a victim of New Zealand’s devastating earthquake has been held in Christchurch – for a five-month-old boy.

Fresh aftershocks sent masonry tumbling among rescuers in New Zealand’s quake zone and a cat sparked false alarms today of a possible survivor, as the disaster’s death toll rose to 145 with more than 200 missing.

Hopes are fading of finding any more survivors following the devastating earthquake in New Zealand after a strong aftershock measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale caused problems in the city and suburbs this morning.

In a bright moment amid the misery of New Zealand’s earthquake, a woman rescued from the rubble just days ago has gone ahead with her planned wedding.

Relatives of people still missing three days after an earthquake shattered the New Zealand city of Christchurch arrived today from several countries to join an anxious vigil for news that looked increasingly likely to be grim.

Rescue workers were today continuing the painstaking search for an Irish man trapped in a building destroyed in the New Zealand earthquake.

Police said the death toll in the New Zealand earthquake has risen to 113.

Rescue workers in New Zealand have said they still have grave fears for more than 200 people caught up in the Christchurch earthquake.

An Irish man is among those feared trapped in a collapsed building in Christchurch, after Tuesday's earthquake in New Zealand.

Hopes faded of finding more survivors today in the collapsed towers of New Zealand’s quake-shattered Christchurch, as officials said the death toll rose to 98 with grave fears for more than 200 missing.

Tributes were today paid to an Irishman killed in the devastating New Zealand earthquake which has claimed at least 75 lives.

The Irishman who died in the earthquake that hit Christchurch in New Zealand has been named today.

Two Irish citizens were today confirmed to have died in the New Zealand earthquake, Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Rescuers used their bare hands, dogs, and heavy machines in an urgent search for survivors still trapped in collapsed buildings more than 24 hours after an earthquake devastated one of New Zealand's largest cities.

At least one Japanese exchange student was trapped and another 11 still missing after the Christchurch earthquake collapsed their language school around them.

Rescuers were continuing a desperate search for survivors throughout the night amid the ruins of the New Zealand city of Christchurch after a massive earthquake that killed at least 65 people.