New Zealand Quake : toll 71, no more survivors found

Rescue workers are seen at the collapsed CTV building that housed
the King's Education School, where missing Japanese people are
believed to be trapped, following Tuesday's earthquake in the southern
New Zealand city of Christchurch February 23, 2011. (REUTERS/Kyodo)

CHRISTCHURCH (Reuters) - New Zealand's earthquake death toll was confirmed at 71, but Prime Minister John Key said on Thursday that the country must expect that number to rise.

The 6.3-magnitude quake devastated Christchurch, the country's second-biggest city, and rescue teams combed through rubble for a second night under searchlights. Searchers found no more survivors from Tuesday's earthquake.

"We do have to brace ourselves that while the official toll is 71 that number will rise today and tomorrow," Key told Television 3.


The death toll was previously put at 75 but officials revised that. "We have currently in morgues across the city 71 people confirmed dead, we are aware there are other bodies but we haven't got a number on that," Civil Defence Minister John Carter told reporters.

He said early reports of up to 300 other people missing was speculation and it was not known how many were unaccounted for.

Carter said around 2,500 people have been injured, 164 seriously.

Police said they were still holding out hope that people were still alive in wrecked buildings.