Powerful Earthquake In New Zealand Kills 65, Injures Dozens

ABCNews

Rescue and recovery efforts are underway in New Zealand after a powerful earthquake shook the city of Christchurch in the middle of a busy work day, killing at least 65 people and injuring dozens more.

The 6.3 magnitude quake struck at 12:51 p.m. Tuesday local time, and was very shallow in depth, measuring just 2.5 miles beneath the surface, causing violent shaking, and widespread damage.

Video footage showed buildings collapsed, bricks scattered onto streets, roads and sidewalks cracked.

Nearly 200 people are feared trapped amid the structures, according to Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker.

“The building just exploded,” said resident Barry Saunders, in an interview with Radio New Zealand. “It was just like a movie. It took three or four seconds to comprehend what was going on.”

The U.S. Geological Survey said Tuesday’s quake was centered 3 miles from the city.

Two large aftershocks ? one magnitude 5.6 and another 5.5 ? shook Christchurch within hours of the initial quake.

The latest tremor came just 5 months after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the city of 350,000.

That quake in September caused no deaths but badly damaged buildings throughout the city, many of them the same structures that collapsed Tuesday.