Still recovering from a devastating earthquake in February, Christchurch, New Zealand was shaken by new temblors on Monday. The three quakes, one as big as magnitude 6.0, collapsed dozens of buildings and knocked out power to thousands.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS) the first quake, a magnitude 5.2 temblor, struck at 1:00pm local time on Monday. It was followed soon after by a larger 6.0 magnitude quake at 2:20pm and a smaller magnitude 4.6 shaking at 2:40pm.
The quakes prompted workers to evacuate office buildings, shoppers to flee shopping centers and travelers to evacuate the Christchurch airport. An estimated 50,000 people are without power and thousands of those are also without water.
Most schools will close on Tuesday as officials warned residents to stay off of the roads until they are expected. For those without power and water, the city’s mayor warned that they will likely be without on a night when temperatures are expected to dip near freezing.
“If you don't have power and don't have water at the moment, assume you won't have them overnight,” Mayor Bob Parker said.
Officials said that more than 50 structures collapsed, many of which were already weakened from the deadly magnitude 6.3 earthquake in February.
The iconic Christchurch Cathedral, heavily damaged by previous quakes, saw more of its facade collapse. Homes near Sumner were destroyed when the sides of cliffs gave way sending all or part of the structures below.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority reported that Sumner and Redcliffs were considered the hardest hit areas. Some areas suffered liquefaction, flooding and rockslides while flooding was seen in some areas from burst water lines.
Good news for residents however resided in the fact that while 50 injuries were reported with the new quakes, all were considered minor.
In an ominous warning, New Zealand's GNS Institute said that the new quakes were not unexpected and more could follow. Manager Kelvin Berryman said, “"We would expect a number of aftershocks in the magnitude 4.0 to 5.0 range on the coming days and weeks.”
The new quakes struck as New Zealand continues to recover from the February earthquake which claimed the lives of 181 people. In September 2010, a larger but less deadly quake also struck the area.
More than 10,000 homes and businesses have been determined to be uninhabitable since those quakes and are due to be razed. The new quake is expected to add to that tally.
Prime Minister John Key said, "This has been a setback for Christchurch and its people, but it does not lessen our resolve to rebuild.”
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