The death toll from the Christchurch earthquake is now 98 with police holding grave concerns for a further 226 people. “The Age” speaks about this.
Canterbury district commander Superintendent Dave Cliff said police had received 98 bodies and 226 people were reported as missing. "We're gravely concerned about those individuals," he said, adding the number might grow.
He said the list was made up of people reported missing by loved ones and nothing had been heard from them since Tuesday's 6.3 magnitude earthquake. Prime Minister John Key told media: "We are very fearful tonight that the death toll could be much greater than any of us ever feared." Mr Key said it could be weeks before families had their loved ones' bodies returned.
DNA and fingerprint samples are being used to identify the badly burnt bodies, he said.
Earlier this afternoon 238 people were confirmed missing - although some may have already left Christchurch before the disaster, police said. The missing includes 16 Chinese students, ranging in age from 17 to 22, believed to be trapped beneath the rubble of the CTV building. Several more bodies are known to be in the Pyne Gould Corporation building, where two victims were pulled from the rubble this morning. Heartfelt messages from families and friends of missing loved ones on social media sites paint a poignant picture of the quake's likely victims. Police have begun a major clampdown on non-emergency personnel entering Christchurch's CBD.
Media have been threatened with arrest and two members of the Japanese press were taken into custody after trying to gain access to Christchurch Hospital in breach of a curfew overnight.
Meanwhile, petrol retailers in the city have called for calm amid panic buying of fuel that has reportedly led to queues a kilometre long outside some petrol stations.
5 
903 
