New Zealand quake toll at 76 dead, 238 missing
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 14 years, 9 months AGO
<p>Murray and Kelly James look at their destroyed house in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Wednesday. A magnitude-6.3 earthquake on Tuesday collapsed buildings, caused extensive other damage and killed dozens of people in the city.</p>
<p>The Timeball Station is seen to be badly damaged on Wednesday, a day after the 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the township of Lyttelton near Christchurch, New Zealand.</p>
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) - The sister and brother sat huddled Wednesday on sodden grass, staring at the smoldering remains of an office tower that collapsed with their mother inside.
They hadn't heard from Donna Manning since a powerful earthquake tore through one of New Zealand's largest cities a day earlier, killing at least 76 people and leaving 238 missing. Still, there was hope.
"My mum is superwoman, she'd do anything," Manning's 18-year-old daughter Lizzy said, tears streaming down her face.
Just then, a police officer approached and knelt before Lizzy and her 15-year-old brother Kent in the rain. "I have some horrible news..." the officer began.
The teens' faces fell, and their father wrapped them in an embrace as the officer gently broke the news that their mother was presumed dead.
It was a dark moment that was repeated many times over Wednesday as rescuers searched for any signs of life in the twisted rubble of Christchurch. Prime Minister John Key declared the quake a national disaster and analysts estimated its cost at up to $12 billion.