23 February 2011Last updated at 10:23

In pictures: New Zealand rescues earthquake victims

Murray and Kelly James look at their damaged house in central Christchurch, New Zealand, 23 February 2011

New Zealand is embarking on a massive rescue effort after a magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck the city of Christchurch on South Island.

Rescue workers carry a female survivor after she was rescued from the ruins of a collapsed building in central Christchurch, 23 February 2011

At least 75 people have died, officials say, while about 300 are missing in wreckage after houses and prominent buildings collapsed.

A rescue worker looks for signs of life in the rubble of the Canterbury Television Centre building in central Christchurch, 23 February 2011

Police have said there is "incredible carnage right throughout the city", with "bodies littering the streets".

A destroyed church in Christchurch, New Zealand, 23 February 2011

More than 500 rescue workers, police, fire service staff, soldiers and volunteers have been scrambling to find survivors trapped in the rubble, some using only their bare hands.

Libby Manning, 18, is held by her father and cries after being told there is no chance of survivors in CTV building in Christchurch, New Zealand, 23 February 2011

The search has now been abandoned at the Canterbury Television Centre, with rescue officials telling friends and family there is little chance of survivors.

A car remains stuck in sand that covered a road following the earthquake in southern New Zealand, 23 February 2011

Prime Minister John Key has declared a national state of emergency and accepted help from other countries.

An iceberg, broken off from the glacier, is seen in the Tasman Lake, west of Christchurch in this handout photograph released, 23 February 2011

It is thought the quake also caused 30 million tonnes of ice to fall from the nation's longest glacier, sending boulders of ice - such as this one - into the Tasman Lake, 200km (124 miles) west of Christchurch.

The wrecked Timeball Station, a Victorian building that historically indicated the time to ships sailing by its ball on top of the stone tower, stands on a hill above the town of Lyttelton, 23 February 2011

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who is also New Zealand's head of state, said she was "utterly shocked" by the disaster and sent her condolences.

Wreckage in Christchurch after earthquake, 23 February 2011

The quake was New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster in 80 years.

Asia-Pacific

In pictures: New Zealand rescues earthquake victims

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