Parts of NZ city to be abandoned

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Some 10,000 houses in Christchurch will have to be demolished because of damage from last month's earthquake and parts of the city will have to be abandoned altogether, the country's leader said on Monday.

The magnitude 6.3 temblor hit within 5 km of Christchurch and close to the surface on Feb 22. It shattered homes, heritage buildings and office blocks, and caused 166 confirmed deaths. Officials say the toll is expected to rise to more than 200 as rescuers continue to search for bodies trapped in the rubble.

Earthquakes can cause sections of earth to liquefy and push up to the surface as watery silt, a process called liquefaction. In Christchurch, 260,000 tons of silt have already been scraped away.