Curfew Imposed in Christchurch as Rescue Efforts Continue

(Newsroom America) -- New Zealand officials have imposed a curfew in parts of Christchurch following a deadly 6.3 earthquake Tuesday that has left at least 75 people dead and 80 percent of the city of 400,000 without water.

According to the New Zealand Police Web site, residents who enter some parts of the city after 6:30 p.m. local time will be arrested.

Prime Minister John Key told reporters late Wednesday that 55 residents who were killed in the quake had been identified, and another 20 were awaiting identification.

"Today, all New Zealanders grieve for you, Christchurch," Key said in Wellington, as he prepared to fly to the stricken city. "Many people have lost their lives. Families have lost their cherished loved ones. Mates have lost their mates."

The Civil Defense Department, on its Web site, announced that a state of emergency had been declared for the entire country, in a bid to better coordinate emergency response. Australia and the U.S. were already sending assistance in the hours following the tremblor, earlier reports said. Japan is also sending about 70 rescue personnel.

The defense department, meanwhile, said some 30 aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 4 to 6 have been felt since the first quake, which struck about 12:51 p.m. during the height of business in a crowded city.

New Zealand police have said about 300 people are unaccounted for and presumed trapped. Rescue efforts were continuing today, they said.

Lines formed at various locations in the city for water, with some residents waiting hours in lines that stretched for three or four blocks, reports said.

© 2010 Newsroom America.

Contact Jon E. Dougherty

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