Disaster

Like all New Zealanders and many other people around the world, I’ve been watching and reading about the devastating Christchurch earthquake. The earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city and situated approximately halfway down the east coast of the South Island, at lunchtime on February 22. The death toll has now reached 103 and many more people are missing.

One of the buildings which completely collapsed in the city centre was home to an English language school. At this point, eleven Japanese students are believed to be trapped in this building, along with many New Zealanders. The Chinese Embassy believes that twenty Chinese Nationals are missing in the aftermath of the quake. It’s believed that people of other nationalities are also missing.

My heart goes out to the families of all the lost and missing.