Earthquake in New Zealand: Pictures From a "War Zone"

Buried Bus in Christchurch

Photograph by Martin Hunter, Getty Images

Debris from a collapsed building covers a bus in downtown Christchurch on February 22.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker described the historic tourist town as a "war zone," according to Reuters.

The earthquake is New Zealand's worst natural disaster since a 1931 quake in the North Island city of Napier, which killed 256, Reuters reported.

(See pictures of New Zealand's natural beauty.)

Published February 22, 2011

Collapsed Building in New Zealand

Photograph by Mark Mitchell, New Zealand Herald/AP

Rescue workers climb the wreckage of the Pyne Gould Guiness Building in downtown Christchurch on February 22.

The New Zealand earthquake knocked out phone lines, including the city's emergency 111 service, the New Zealand Herald reported. About 80 percent of the city lost power, according to TVNZ.

(See New Zealand pictures by National Geographic readers.)

Published February 22, 2011

Listening for Earthquake Survivors

Photograph by Martin Hunter, Getty Images

Rescuers listen for sounds of New Zealand earthquake survivors near a collapsed building on February 22.

About 120 people have been pulled already from the rubble, with possibly more than a hundred still awaiting rescue, Christchurch mayor Bob Parker told Reuters.

Survivor Laura Campbell, who was at work when the quake struck, told CNN she saw "windows blowing out, bricks falling down, people screaming, the whole nine yards."

"It was bloody serious," Campbell said.

(Video: Earthquake 101.)

Published February 22, 2011

Earthquake Rescue in Progress

Television still from TVNZ via AP

A wounded man is carried out from the devastation of the New Zealand earthquake on February 22.

Survivor Gavin Blowman, who ran as soon as the quake hit, told CNN that "it felt like I was running on jelly."

"We saw a giant rock tumble to the ground from a cliff—a rock that had been there for millennia. It fell on the RSA [Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association, a veterans' group] building—it was terrifying."

(Get National Geographic earthquake safety tips.)

Published February 22, 2011

Flooded "Swamp"

Photograph by Mark Mitchell, New Zealand Herald/AP

Cars sit abandoned amid flooded streets in suburban Christchurch on February 22.

The New Zealand city is built on silt, sand, and gravel, which lie on top of a water table, according to Reuters. After an earthquake, the water rises, mixing with the sand.

This creates swamplike conditions that can swallow roads and cars, the agency reported.

Published February 22, 2011

Window Rescue

Photograph from New Zealand Herald via AP

Survivors who broke office windows wait to be rescued from a high-rise building in central Christchurch on February 22.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker declared a state of emergency and urged people to avoid the water supply, Radio New Zealand reported.

Published February 22, 2011