Stong Aftershocks Rattle New Zealand's Christchurch

Rescuers search for missing people amongst the collapsed buildings in the Central Business District after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, on February 22 2011. Photo by EPA/BGNES

A new powerful aftershock has hit the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch, which was devastated on February 22 when 181 people lost their lives in a disastrous earthquake.

The new 6.0 Richter quake rocked the city at about 2.20pm local time. It followed a 5.5-magnitude quake that hit about 1pm and was centred 10km southeast of Christchurch at a depth of 11km.

A spokeswoman for the New Zealand fire service said teams were attending to multiple calls and the aftershocks had caused renewed "liquefaction, flooding, power lines down, falling debris, and burst sewer and water pipes," as cited by the Wall Street Journal on Monday

Christchurch City Council released a statement advising residents to stay calm and check on the safety of their family and neighbours, the Herald Sun reports.

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