We have just received word that a 7.0 earthquake has struck Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand. The quake hit at 4:35 AM New Zealand time. Strong aftershocks have been reported, including one measuring at a 5.3 magnitude.
According to the BBC:
The epicenter was 55km (35 miles) north-west of Christchurch, at a depth of 12 km (7.5 miles)….Police said there had been widespread damage to buildings and roads as well as power cuts. Two men were seriously injured by falling masonry and glass. A state of emergency was later declared in Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city with a 386,000 population. New Zealand lies at the southern end of the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, and above an area of the Earth’s crust where the Pacific Plate converges with the Indo-Australian Plate. The country experiences more than 14,000 earthquakes a year, of which only around 20 have a magnitude in excess of 5.0.
This area of NZ may be familiar to many NarniaFans as less then an hour and a half away from Christchurch was where the battle scenes and Aslan’s camp were filmed for The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. We will have more on this story as it progresses. In the meantime, Friends of Narnia, keep the people of Christchurch, New Zealand in your thoughts and prayers.
Wow, I will definitely be praying for the people of Christchurch!
Sure,,, I’ll keep them in my prayers
Oh no, Not another earthquake. I’m glad not too many people were hurt.
Two people were recording videos about the earthquake, and in one of the videos you could see one of the aftershocks taking place.
yikes! I just hate them! I’ll make sure to pray for them!
i am definately praying!!!!! i love those areas!
i am glad only two people got hurt!
whoa! I will definitly be praying! that’s crazy!
Me too
I’m glad that no one was killed. I’ll keep them in my prayers!
No one was killed because there were hardly any tall buildings. Buildings kill people, not earthquakes. You could stand in the middle of an empty field, feel the earthquake, but be unharmed. Hopefully, the victims are all right and will pull through.
that’s a relief.
Thanks so much for putting this news up. I’m Coracle from NarniaWeb and I’m the one who posted the prayer request on NarniaWeb yesterday. There’s a lot of damage, maybe 20% of homes are seriously damaged, and we are all still rather shocked by it all. Roads have cracks, bumps and silt from surges, and the whole structure of life in the city is a bit “on hold” right now. (plenty more information can be found by googling ‘Christchurch earthquake’)
The epicentre was near the small town of Kirwee, which is between Christchurch and Flock Hill where the LWW battle was filmed.
Your prayers are valued – we are used to being a country that helps others in disasters, and now help is needed here.
Blessings
Coracle
You are most welcome! Thank you for the update ( and personal account). I am truly sorry to hear about that.
Well, you can count on us at NarniaFans. If there is anything we can do,any relief efforts we can donate to, or other ways we can help, drop us a line.
To you as well.
Jonathon
Could this piece of news be removed please. I got an awful fright thinking it was recent. The news is 2 years old.
Cheers.