Police are reporting that the death toll from the Christchurch earthquake has now risen to 103. According to the head of the British Search and Rescue team starting work in Christchurch, aftershocks now pose the biggest safety threat.
The chief executive of the Pyne Gould Corporation building says the building’s collapse is inexplicable, as it had passed two certifications since September’s Darfield earthquake.
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Police confirmed on Friday morning that 103 people were known to have died, while about 200 remain unaccounted for.
Civil Defence Minister John Carter said that, in all, 70 people had been rescued alive from collapsed buildings since the earthquake struck, but the last was on Wednesday afternoon.
He says teams will now be searching areas such as alleyways where people may be under rubble of facades fallen from buildings.