Fresh quakes rock New Zealand

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand was braced for further aftershocks yesterday after it was struck by a series of strong earthquakes.

The quakes rattled buildings, prompting terrified holiday shoppers to flee into the streets. There was no tsunami alert issued and the city appeared to have been spared major damage.

One person was injured at a shopping centre and was taken to hospital, and four people had to be rescued after being trapped by a rock fall.

There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or widespread damage in the city, which is still recovering from a devastating February earthquake that killed 182 people and destroyed much of the downtown area.

The first 5.8-magnitude quake struck 25km north of Christchurch and 4km deep, the US Geological Survey said. Minutes later, a 5.3-magnitude aftershock hit. About an hour after that, the city was shaken by another 5.8-magnitude shake.

The city’s airport was evacuated after the first quake and all city shopping centres shut as a precaution.

About 60 people were treated for minor injuries, including fractures, injuries sustained in falls and people with “emotional difficulties”, Christchurch St John Ambulance operations manager Tony Dowell said.

Warwick Isaacs, demolitions manager for the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, said most buildings had been evacuated “as an emergency measure”. The area has recorded more than 7,000 earthquakes since a 7.0-magnitude quake hit on September 4, 2010. That quake did not cause any deaths.

Rock falls had occurred in one area and there was liquefaction — when an earthquake forces underground water up through loose soil — in several places.

“There has been quite a lot of stuff falling out of cupboards, off shelves in shops and that sort of thing, again,” Isaacs said.

He said his immediate concern was for demolition workers involved in tearing down buildings wrecked in previous quakes.

“It... started slow then really got going. It was a big swaying one but not as jolting or as violent as in February,” Christchurch resident Rita Langley said.

The shaking was severe in the nearby port town of Lyttelton, the epicentre of the February 22 quake.

“We stayed inside until the shaking stopped. Then most people went out into the street outside,” resident Andrew Turner said.

“People are emotionally shocked by what happened this afternoon.”

Around 26,000 homes were without power in Christchurch, after the shaking tripped switches that cut supplies, Orion energy company chief executive Rob Jamieson said.

“We don’t seem to have damage to our equipment,” he said. “We hope to have power back on to those customers by nightfall.”