Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Police ask for patience over victim identification

Updated at 2:28 pm on 6 March 2011

Police are once again asking for patience over the identification of victims of the Christchurch earthquake.

The official death toll from the 6.3-magnitude quake on 22 February rose to 166 on Sunday following the discovery of a body, though police did not immediately identify at which site the remains had been found.

Superintendent Sam Hoyle told a media conference on Sunday it could be months before all victims of the quake are identified for sure. He said any one error would put doubt into the minds of all families.

Work resumes following aftershock

Urban search and rescue crews resumed work at a central Christchurch building, which had been suspended on Saturday evening because of a 4.8-magnitude aftershock.

Teams were working at the Forsyth Barr building when the aftershock struck at 7.34pm, and it was decided that it was unsafe to continue there overnight.

Paul Baxter of the Fire Service said a US crew resumed work on Sunday at the site, where at least two more days work would most likely be required.

Chinese, Japanese and New Zealand teams have ended work at the Canterbury Television building.

Recovery work at the Pyne Gould building ended on Friday.

Roads flooded

Steady rain caused light flooding to roads in Christchurch but a high spring tide at Lyttelton on Sunday morning did not make the flooding any worse.

Between 10mm and 15mm of rain fell in the city overnight on Saturday. Police had received reports of flooding on some streets in New Brighton, Bromley, Avondale, St Martins, Dallington and Avonside.

Superintendent Sandra Manderson said the overnight surface flooding was made worse by silt blocking gutters and broken drains.

There were no breaches of the Avon River bank but levels were being monitored.

Meanwhile, more than 260,000 tonnes of silt left left by liquefaction in Christchurch has been removed, mayor Bob Parker said.

Copyright © 2011, Radio New Zealand