NZ quake survivors cheered as others grieve - World news - Asia-Pacific - msnbc.com

Image via Wikipedia Luke 21

Things to Come
      10Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, 11and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.       12“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. 13“It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. 14“So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 16“But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, 17and you will be hated by all because of My name. 18“Yet not a hair of your head will perish. 19“By your endurance you will gain your lives.

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CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Cheers erupted Wednesday as rescuers pulled a woman from a major building shattered in New Zealand's devastating earthquake, but the mood was dismal at another wreckage where police said all hopes of survivors were finished.

The confirmed death toll from Tuesday's magnitude-6.3 quake near the city of Christchurch rose to 75, and officials said it was almost sure to climb further. Police believe 100 people may have died in one building alone.
Some 300 people were listed as missing, as rescuers raced to find trapped survivors and imposed a strict nighttime curfew on the worst-hit areas.
One of the city's tallest buildings, the 27-floor Hotel Grand Chancellor, was in imminent danger of collapsing, with one corner sinking lower in the ground and the facade showing major buckling, Fire Service commander Mike Hall said.

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Dozens trapped by New Zealand quake that killed 65 6.3

Image via Wikipediahttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110222/ap_on_re_as/as_new_zealand_earthquake

By JOE MORGAN, Associated Press Joe Morgan, Associated Press – 29 mins ago

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand – Office workers trapped under their collapsed buildings sent messages to the outside as rescuers with dogs scrambled to save them and dozens of others following a powerful earthquake that killed at least 65 in one of New Zealand's largest cities.
At least 100 people were reportedly missing and believed buried. Search teams assisted by floodlights and earth movers worked through dawn Wednesday, trying to dig through crumbled concrete, twisted metal and huge mounds of brick.
Medical workers brought the injured to a triage center set up in a park in central Christchurch, while military units patrolled near-empty streets disfigured by the huge cracks and canyons created in Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude quake, the second powerful temblor to hit Christchurch in five months.
The quake toppled the spire of the city's historic stone cathedral, flattened tall buildings and sent chunks of concrete and bricks hurtling onto cars, buses and pedestrians below.
Web designer Nathaniel Boehm was outside on his lunch break when the quake struck just before 1 p.m. He saw the eaves of buildings cascade onto the street, burying people below.
Others tried to claw their way in, but he didn't see anyone come out.
"People were covered in rubble, covered in several tons of concrete," he said. "It was horrific."

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Strong quake hits in Pacific near Solomon Islands 6.9

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Strong quake hits in Pacific near Solomon Islands 6.9

2 minutes ago from todaysworld

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  HONIARA, Solomon Islands — A powerful earthquake struck underwater off the Solomon Islands, but there was no immediate word of damage and no tsunami alert was issued.
  Saturday's quake had a magnitude of 6.9, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered 35 miles (55 kilometers) west-southwest of San Christobal in the Solomon Islands at a depth of 22 miles (35 kilometers) under the ocean's floor.
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  The Solomon Islands' National Disaster Council spokesman Julian Makaa said he had had no early reports of damage or injury in the wake of the temblor.
  "We did feel the earthquake (in the capital) ... and people in the affected area said they felt a big earthquake," Makaa told The Associated Press by telephone from the capital, Honiara.
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  read more on www.hawaiinewsnow.com
  "We did feel the earthquake (in the capital) ... and people in the affected area said they felt a big earthquake," Makaa told The Associated Press by telephone from the capital, Honiara.
  "We're checking by radio links and by telephone, but we haven't received any reports of damage," he said, adding that the council was "still monitoring the situation."
  The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it expected no major tsunami threat from the quake.

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Australia faces huge locust plague

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Strong Earthquake Hits Off Solomon Islands

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Freak storm causes flooding, landslides in Australia

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