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A portion of a cliff-top househangs over a ledge in Sumner, near Christchurch yesterday Mark Mitchell/AP/Press Association Images
New Zealand
One killed in New Zealand aftershocks as some parts of Christchurch are abandoned
New Zealand’s prime minister says that some parts of Christchurch can not be rebuilt. An elderly nursing home resident has died following the latest quakes.
ONE PERSON HAS been killed following strong aftershocks in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.
The elderly man was an resident at a nursing home who died when he fell and hit his head. The aftershocks throughout Monday and Tuesday have brought down more buildings and the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key now says that some part of the city will have to be abandoned, reports the New Zealand Herald.
Power has mostly been restored to Christchurch after the latest quakes left tens of thousands without electricity on a winter night when temperatures were approaching freezing. Generators are providing power to some people. Water supplies have also been compromised and Mayor Bob Parker is encouraging residents to boil their water.
Prime Minister Key says there is some land which will have to be abandoned as it will not be possible to rebuild on it, while authorities say they are assessing the land as quickly as possible. He had already said that 10,000 homes would be destroyed reports the BBC.
Officials have said that 75 buildings that were confirmed to be safe after Febuary’s quake have now been condemned.
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