A devastating 6.3 earthquake hit the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last night, leaving at least sixty-five people dead.
It’s unclear as to how extensive the fatalities are. As rescuers continue to search the rubble of collapsed buildings, the death toll is expected to rise.
The earthquake struck just before 1:00 p.m. local time. Christchurch Cathedral, one of the city’s historical landmarks, was one of the many buildings destroyed in the quake. It is the second earthquake to strike Christchurch in the past five months. The last earthquake in September 2010 came in at 7.1 on the Richter scale, but had no fatalities.
Australian PM, Julia Gillard announced that Australia will assist and support New Zealand.
The Greek Ambassador stated that had a phone conversation with the president of the Greek community, Chaloumis, who reassured him that no Greeks are among the victims. He also added that it is difficult to make phone calls at the moment, because of the problems caused in the lines and it is too early to announce the number of the dead. Christchurch has approximately 100 Greeks who reside in the city.
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