Christchurch, Before

Just before 1pm yesterday, a massive earthquake tore
through Christchurch, New Zealand, levelling large sections
of the downtown business district when it was packed with
workers and shoppers. The death toll is already at 75, with
more expected as rescue teams get into more of the collapsed
buildings around the city. This photo was taken from the
hills above Sumner last August (2010), just a week before the last
major earthquake struck the city. Because that quake struck
in the middle of the night, no one was killed. And although
damage was extensive, it was nowhere near on the scale of
this quake, many of the historic buildings having been already
weakened. House sized boulders came off the cliffs just out of
view in this shot, crushing buildings beneath them.


The spire of Christchurch's famous cathedral,
symbol of the city. It survived the first quake
last September, but came down yesterday -
onto the pavement of Cathedral Square, and
also through the roof of the main sanctuary.
A popular tourist activity was climbing the spire,
from which there were terrific views of the city.

This is inside the spire, looking up towards the roof.


From inside the spire, looking down onto the (now absent)
roof of the main sanctuary below.
Christchurch, New Zealand, August 2009.