Quake survivors may be in collapsed building

Survivors are believed to be in a collapsed building where an Irishman was caught up in the New Zealand earthquake.

The man, aged in his mid-40s and married with children, was believed to be in the Pyne Gould Guinness (PGG) building in Christchurch. He had been living in New Zealand for some time.

Authorities have said people in the building made contact with rescuers trying to dig down through the rubble.

A top Foreign Affairs diplomat said they would not give up hope of finding him alive.

But David Cooney, secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said they had not received any information about the missing man since the quake hit.

“We do not know if there has been direct contact with the Irishman trapped there,” Mr Cooney said.

He added: “As we understand it, there is no hard evidence he is alive but until there is evidence to the contrary we will not give up hope.”

The PGG is understood to be the last building being searched for survivors with specialist sniffer dogs and experts from the US and Japan.

Peadar Carpenter, co-ordinator of the DFA Consular Crisis Centre in central Dublin, said information came direct from consular staff about survivors in the PGG.

He added: “We hope there’ll be news very soon on this.”

DFA initially had reports of concerns over 300 Irish citizens in New Zealand after the 6.3-magnitude quake struck. That has been whittled down to 17 people who have lost contact but the foreign affairs chiefs said they had no serious concerns for any of these.

An Irish woman, initially classed as a missing person, turned up safe and well after not being heard from while taking her children to school when the quake hit. There were also serious concerns about a man who had been travelling alone but he has since been in touch with family.

More than 200 people are missing and there are fears about 120 bodies being in one of the worst damaged buildings.

Meanwhile, the family of a Monaghan man crushed to death in his car are preparing to fly his body home.

Psychiatric nurse Eoin McKenna, who had been living in the country for about six years, is among those confirmed dead.

Elsewhere, consular assistance is being given to an Irish woman who was married to a British passport holder who died in the quake.

Tributes have been paid to Mr McKenna, whose car was crushed by falling debris.

Aged in his 40s, he moved abroad after marrying a woman from New Zealand and was a well-known figure in his local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).

It is understood the hospital where Mr McKenna worked contacted the family in the Emyvale area of Monaghan to say he had not arrived for work after the powerful quake struck.