At least 75 people have been killed as search for survivors continues

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand - The siblings huddled on Wednesday on sodden grass, staring at the smoldering remains of a building that collapsed with their mother inside.

They hadn't heard from TV presenter Donna Manning since a powerful earthquake tore through one of New Zealand's largest cities, killing at least 75 people and leaving some 300 missing in the rubble. Still, there was hope.

"My mum is superwoman, she'd do anything," Manning's 18-year-old daughter Lizzy said, tears streaming down her face.

Just then, a police officer approached and knelt before Lizzy and her 15-year-old brother Kent in the rain. "I have some horrible news..." the officer began.

The teens' faces crumpled, and their father wrapped them in an embrace. There was no hope left for anyone trapped inside the building, the officer said gently.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday sent a condolence message to his New Zealand counterpart John Key over the devastating earthquake that struck the country.

Wen, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, expressed his condolences to the victims' families.

It was one of the darkest moments of a desperate hunt for any signs of life in the twisted rubble in the city of Christchurch, as Prime Minister John Key declared the quake a national disaster and analysts estimated its cost at up to $12 billion.

Huang Wanzhu, 25-year-old, from China's Guangdong province, arrived at Christchurch last Thursday looking for a job related to electronics that he has majored in the University of Auckland.

"I know an earthquake has hit this place before, but I have never expected another one would happen when I came. My job hunt is delayed, as the companies will be closed for around a week," Huang told China Daily through phone.

Huang said he lives in a house at a higher place in Christchurch, which was not affected much by the quake, and that he still has power, water and Internet access.

But shops and supermarkets downtown remain closed, he said.

According to the New Zealand Herald, by Wednesday evening local time, around 80 percent of Christchurch remains without water.

Foreign help needed

Hundreds of foreign rescuers will join exhausted New Zealand teams on Thursday in an increasingly desperate search of quake-shattered buildings in central Christchurch as time runs out to find survivors buried under rubble.

Officials have abandoned hope of finding anyone alive in the collapsed Canterbury Television (CTV) building in the city center, including foreign students at a third-floor language school, with a grader moving in to clear debris.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said the quake-prone city now faced hard decisions on rebuilding its heart.

"We are not going to walk away from this place," Parker told New Zealand television. "We may have to level entire blocks in some places."

AP-Reuters-China Daily