Rescue teams in Christchurch, New Zealand were digging through rubble on 23 February, searching for survivors of the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 75 people and destroyed and damaged many buildings in the city on 21 February, among them a number of historic churches.

The death toll on the second day after the quake was expected to rise, with hundreds trapped and thousands injured, authorities said. Water and electricity service was out in large areas of the city and police imposed a nighttime curfew, according to press reports

The quake was an aftershock of a 7.1-magnitude quake that hit the city in September, but did not cause as much devastation. Churches were among the most severely affected buildings in the latest quake.

The Anglican ChristChurch Cathedral, a downtown landmark, lost half its tower. Cathedral Dean Peter Beck spoke about the human toll. “It is devastating about the cathedral, but the most important thing at the moment is not the buildings, it’s the people, and we’ve got to reach out to each other here in Christchurch and Canterbury and do what we can to deal with those who are wounded, those who have been killed and their families,” he said, in a report carried by the Adelaide, Australia newspaper, The Advertiser…

“We are very fearful that there are some people under that rubble,” he said. The diocese also posted a photo gallery of damaged churches (www.chch.anglican.org.nz).

…Other churches that also sustained earthquake damage included Knox Presbyterian Church, which lost its windows and much of its walls…

Read More: http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2011-02/rescuers-search-quake-survivors-christchurch-new-zealand