WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake damaged buildings, cut power and knocked fleeing residents off their feet on New Zealand’s South Island early today, but there were so far no deaths and only two injuries reported.
Panicked residents in their pajamas ran into the streets of the southern city of Christchurch after the predawn quake, residents said. There were reports of some people trapped in damaged buildings — though none appeared to be crushed by rubble — and a few looters broke into some of the damaged shops in the city of 400,000, authorities said.
Chimneys and walls had fallen from older buildings, roads had been blocked, traffic lights were out, and power, gas and water supplies disrupted, Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said. He warned that continuing aftershocks could cause masonry to fall from damaged buildings.
“The fronts of at least five buildings in the central city have collapsed, and rubble is strewn across many roads,” Christchurch resident Angela Morgan told The Associated Press. “There is quite significant damage, really, with reports that some people were trapped in damaged houses.”
Suburban dweller Mark O’Connell said his house was full of smashed glass, food tossed from shelves, with sets of drawers, TVs and computers tipped over. “We were thrown from wall to wall as we tried to escape down the stairs to get to safety,” he told the AP.
The quake, which hit 19 miles west of Christchurch, according to the state geological agency GNS Science, shook a wide area. No tsunami alert was issued.
New Zealand sits above an area of the Earth’s crust where two tectonic plates collide. The country records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year — but only about 150 are felt by residents.
