CHRISTCHURCH (Reuters) - Violent aftershocks hampered desperate efforts to find survivors in quake-hit Christchurch on Saturday as the death toll climbed to 145 and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key called for a two-minute silence for the nation to grieve.
Rescue teams from New Zealand and six countries including the United States, China, Japan and Australia scoured ruined buildings in the central city and suburban areas hardest hit by Tuesday's 6.3 tremor -- but found only bodies.
"We expect that number to rise as the search and rescue teams progressively find more and more deceased among the ruins," police commander Dave Cliff told reporters.
The dead include people from 20 nations, including dozens of students from Japan, China, India and Taiwan who were in Christchurch, one of New Zealand's most attractive cities, to learn English in view of the country's dramatic southern Alps.
Hopes of finding people alive five days after the quake were dimmed by aftershocks of up to magnitude 4.4 which brought down masonry and sent rescue teams scrambling for safety.
Key called for a two-minute national silence on March 1 as a sign of unity for the people of Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city, and to grieve for people killed in the country's worst natural disaster for 80 years.
"For now we must do all we can to show its people that all of New Zealand grieves with them," said Key, who met with the families of those still missing.
"They fear the worst but there is still a glimmer of hope," he said. "The urban search and rescue crew made it clear that this was still very much a rescue effort, not a recovery.
No survivors have been rescued since mid-afternoon on Wednesday. The number of missing remains at more than 200, but police have said it is likely that the number includes recovered bodies that have yet to be identified.
read more @ the star:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/27/worldupdates/2011-02-26T121654Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-551367-11&sec=Worldupdates
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