December 23, 2011. Powerful quake hits New Zealand town
| SOURCE: | Altegrity Risk International |
New Zealand's Christchurch was rocked by a fresh series of powerful earthquakes on December 23rd, sending terrified people fleeing into the streets 10 months after a devastating quake claimed 181 lives in the city. Two shallow quakes of magnitudes 5.8 and 5.9 and a series of aftershocks struck as malls were packed with afternoon Christmas shoppers, sending stock tumbling from the shelves and turning the festive mood to panic. The quakes, which temporarily closed the international airport and disrupted communications in the city, were the latest in a series of quakes that began 15 months ago and have destroyed much of the inner-city of Christchurch.
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