HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

February 24, 2011. Earthquake death toll rises to 98, 200 others feared dead

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

The earthquake death toll in the South Island's Christchurch rose to 98 on February 24th, with hope fading for the remaining 226 people missing two days after the quake, reports indicated. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key warned that the missing were feared dead. Police officials believe between 60 and 120 missing may lie beneath the collapsed Canterbury Television building, which officials deemed unsurvivable. Hundreds of foreign search and rescue specialists from the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan arrived in Christchurch on February 24th to help local police, soldiers, and emergency personnel comb through the ruins. The last survivor, however, was found in the afternoon of February 23rd. Water tankers were sent to 14 locations in the city with portable toilets and refugee camps set up elsewhere. The Christchurch airport reopened on February 23rd, with military planes evacuating tourists to other New Zealander cities. Analysts with a leading insurance firm estimated the total cost of the earthquake damage at US$12 billion.

At least 21 Chinese, 27 Japanese, two South Korean, and an unspecified number of Thai and European nationals are believed missing in the earthquake, as one of the most serious damaged building housed a language school.