Audlem couple "safe" in NZ disaster

Audlem couple, Peter and Janet Morgan, were in Christchurch's cathedral in New Zealand at the moment the city was hit by a devastating earthquake yesterday at around noon local time (just before midnight last night GMT). The cathedral suffered severe damage.

Peter and Jan are reported to be safe according to news reaching Audlem Online this morning with a text message received by their family. Peter is an Audlem Parish Councillor and Jan is well known at St James' church and as organiser of the cinema programme for the Public Hall.

The second photo shows how badly damaged the Cathedral was with its steeple collapsing and huge piles of rubble around the building.

The BBC reports that New Zealand's prime minister says at least 65 people have died after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch. PM John Key said the toll was expected to rise further, adding: "We may be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day."

The tremor caused widespread damage as it occurred at lunchtime when Christchurch was at its busiest, at a shallow depth of 5km (3.1 miles). The mayor of New Zealand's second-biggest city says at least 200 people are believed trapped under rubble.

The country's deadliest natural disaster in 80 years struck at 1251 (2351 GMT on Monday), 10km (6.2 miles) south-east of the city. The damage is said to be far worse than after the 7.1-magnitude quake on 4 September, which left two people seriously injured but no fatalities.

TV pictures of the aftermath of Tuesday's disaster showed scores of collapsed buildings in the South Island city of nearly 400,000 people. People could be seen wandering the rubble-strewn streets in distress.

Police said that among the dead were people on two buses which had been crushed by falling buildings.

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