At least 75 people have died : Earthquake New Zealand

(CNN) -- Rescue teams in New Zealand continued to search for survivors Thursday after a powerful earthquake rocked downtown Christchurch, killing scores of people, toppling buildings and leaving others trapped beneath piles of concrete.

At least 75 people have died, 55 of whom have been identified, according to Prime Minister John Key. Hundreds are still missing, Key told reporters at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

Key also told reporters that he will urge the nation's parliament to declare a state of emergency for all of New Zealand.

The 6.3-magnitude quake struck Christchurch during the lunchtime rush Tuesday. Frantic rescuers scrambled to reach those trapped beneath the rubble hours. Dazed, bleeding residents wandered through streets strewn with debris and piles of concrete.

The quake toppled buildings onto buses, buckled streets, forced the collapse of a cathedral spire and cut power for most of the city.
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Rescuers worked overnight under floodlights pulling "a large number of people" from collapsed buildings, according to a police department statement posted online Wednesday.

"Significant numbers of people" were trapped inside two downtown buildings that "suffered major collapse," the statement read. "Police are also aware of there being a number of deceased people in both buildings."

Twenty-two people, two of them seriously hurt, were pulled from the PPG building on Cambridge Terrace. Another 22 are still believed to be trapped in the rubble there. Meanwhile eight people have been rescued from the CTV building, at Madras and Cashel streets, but "a large number are still unaccounted for," police said.

"This is just heartbreaking," Key said during a trip to survey the damage. "This may be New Zealand's darkest day."

President Barack Obama released a statement expressing his condolences for the victims of the New Zealand earthquake and offering to help.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those whose lives have been touched by this tragedy. The United States is a close friend and partner of New Zealand," the president stated. "To assist in the rescue and recovery efforts, we have agreed to deploy a U.S. Agency for International Development Disaster Assistance Response Team, including an Urban Search and Rescue Team, and we stand ready to provide more assistance as needed."

The initial quake, which struck Christchurch shortly before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, was followed by a series of 33 aftershocks with magnitudes of 4 to 6, according to the New Zealand Ministry of Defense.

A Japanese school said its students and teachers visiting the city were trapped under the rubble. Two students have been rescued so far and were receiving treatment, the school said. The trapped are communicating by mobile phone.

The 21 students and two teachers were eating lunch when the earthquake struck, said Sayaka Kawai, an employee at the Toyama Foreign Language School.

The school said it learned of the earthquake after one of the teachers sent a text message to her parents in Japan.

The teacher, who was trapped, said she could see seven students around her but she could not account for the rest.
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A Japanese travel agency said it has been unable to contact some of its tourists who were in the city. Japan plans to send a rescue team to help with the efforts, according to authorities.

Police, military and rescue crews have been dispatched from all over the country to help with rescue efforts, Key said.

The quake ripped the facade of the iconic Christchurch Cathedral. At the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, piles of stone sat atop crushed chairs on the floor as a light shone through a collapsed tower above the sanctuary.

Laura Campbell said she was at work at the bottom of a six-story building when the earthquake struck. She described seeing "windows blowing out, bricks falling down, people screaming, the whole nine yards."

"It was bloody serious," said Campbell, who was trying to walk home. "I'm worried about what I'm going to find down the road."

The New Zealand Herald reported that the quake knocked out phone lines, including the city's emergency 111 service. The temblor cracked roads and broke water mains, flooding several streets. About 80% of the city lost power, TVNZ reported.

A U.S. congressional delegation was in the city for a joint U.S.-New Zealand conference hours before the quake struck.

"Having experienced the warm reception of the people of Christchurch at the Partnership Forum only hours before the earthquake struck makes this disaster all the more personal and poignant," said Representative Donald Manzullo, R-Illinois, chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

Gavin Blowman said he ran into the street when the earthquake struck.

"It felt like I was running on jelly," he said. "We saw a giant rock tumble to the ground from a cliff -- a rock that had been there for millennia. It fell on the RSA (Returned Services Association, a veterans' association) building -- it was terrifying."

The city's airport was closed until further notice, its website said. All planes inbound for the airport were being diverted, and no planes were allowed to take off.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker told Radio New Zealand that the rumbling tossed him across the room. He said the streets were jammed as people tried to get out of the city, and he urged residents to avoid the water supply.

"We've been through this before this once; we now need to think what we did at that time," he said.

Parker later declared a state of emergency in Christchurch.

Civil defense forces had cordoned off the city center, said John Carter, the civil defense minister.

Carter urged residents to send text messages rather than make calls on their cell phones to prevent lines from being overloaded.

"This is about saving lives, and we need those lines as open as possible," he said.

Southern New Zealand has been hit by a series of quakes since September 4 when a 7.1-magnitude temblor struck the area. The earthquake hit in the predawn hours, with the deserted streets helping keep injuries to a minimum. There were no deaths from that quake.

The U.S. Geological Survey said Tuesday's earthquake was part of the "aftershock sequence" of the September earthquake.

"It's a nightmare. A lot of people were just getting back on their feet after the original quake," said Kevin Fenaughty, data center manager for GNS Science, an earth-science research institute.

Queen Elizabeth II said she was "utterly shocked" by news of another earthquake.

"Please convey my deep sympathy to the families and friends of those who have been killed; my thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this dreadful event," she said in a message to Key.

Key vowed that Christchurch will be rebuilt.

"Christchurch, today is the day your comeback begins," Key said. "While nature has taken much from you, it cannot take your survivor spirit."

Source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/22/new.zealand.earthquake/index.html?on.cnn=1