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Christchurch death toll stands at 148

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Aftershocks force evacuation of some residents

A magnitude 4.1 aftershock just before 8 a.m. Monday has prompted the evacuation of residents on Clifton Hill in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner.

Rescuers work at quake-hit PG building in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Feb. 27, 2011. The confirmed death toll from the New Zealand Christchurch earthquake rose to 146 on Sunday, while the number of missing people remains at more than 200. [Li Qiuchan/Xinhua]

Police said up to 60 properties were being evacuated over concerns about the stability of a cliff face. It was not known how long residents would need to stay out of their homes.

Police said officers were contacting each affected house directly and a geologist was assessing cracks in the cliff.

Residents in Kinsey Terrace, Tuawera Terrace and at the bottom of Clifton Terrace are asked to proceed past the Sumner Beach Surf club and assemble in an area near the Poseidon Cafe.

The 7:55 a.m. aftershock was centered 10 km south-east of Christchurch at a depth of 5 km, GNS Science reported.

The evacuations at Clifton Hill came after Civil Defense closed the main road into Sumner to assess the stability of the rock face between Cave Terrace and Nayland Street.

Severe earthquake damage is slowing efforts to restore power to 30,000 people in Christchurch's eastern suburbs and the central business district.

Power has now been restored to 84 percent of the city, but progress has slowed considerably since last week.

A statement from lines company Orion attributes the change to badly damaged equipment in eastern areas.

It said the company is still focused on reconnecting power to 95 percent of the city in the next seven days.

Government to release quake recovery package

The New Zealand cabinet on Monday will discuss a package to assist with the immediate recovery from last Tuesday's earthquake, such as an extension of the 350 NZ dollars subsidy a week per worker put in place after the September quake. That subsidy was only for workplaces with 20 or less employees but Key said Monday' s package would be broader.

Prime Minister John Key said the government would help those companies in the central business district, closed by the quake but able to open temporarily in other locations.

Key estimated this quake would cost about 13 billion NZ dollars, on top of the 6 billion-7 billion NZ dollars of the first quake last September.

Global fund-raiser launched

At the weekend, Key launched a global fund-raiser the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

Donations can be made at www.christchurchearthquakeappeal.govt. nz.

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