Triple quakes 6.0, 5.5 and 4.6 magnitude slam Christchurch NZ

June 13, 2011 – CHRISTCHURCH, NZ – A 6.0, a  5.5 and a 4.6 magnitude quake has been reported right outside Christchurch. The 5.5 quake struck at 1pm, 10 kilometers east of Christchurch at Taylor’s Mistake beach, at a depth of 11km, and sent people scrambling for cover. A police spokesman said a building on the corner of Stanmore and Worcester streets had collapsed and people were feared trapped inside. The 5.5 magnitude quake followed a 4.3 tremor, 10km north of Darfield, half an hour earlier, and was followed by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake eight minutes later 10 kilometers southeast of the CBD. The quake is the latest in a series of dozens of aftershocks to hit Canterbury following the devastating February 22 earthquake where 182 people died, and a damaging magnitude 7.1 earthquake with no fatalities last September. The February 22 quake measured magnitude 6.3 and left 100,000 homes damaged – 10,000 beyond repair. Christchurch’s CBD was left in ruins, with 900 buildings to be demolished. Fire Service spokesman Dan Coward said there had been countless callouts to burst pipes, especially in the Sumner area where many locals were “freaked out”. He said fire crews were investigating a number of suspected fires and the smell of smoke in various sites around the city. Orion said power has been lost to about 10,000 homes in the eastern suburbs. Dust has billowed out of the inner city red zone, indicating the collapse of buildings. –Stuff.co