THE baby boy who is the youngest known victim of New Zealand’s earthquake disaster was its first laid to rest, given a farewell by grieving relatives who clutched stuffed toys and draped his tiny coffin in a comforter.

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.

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.