Remembering Christchurch a decade on: How the world reacted to the devastating February earthquake

The 2011 Christchurch earthquake, which struck a decade ago on Monday, shocked the nation and people around the world.

Lives were lost, iconic buildings were destroyed, and homes were left uninhabitable after the magnitude-6.3 tremor hit at 12:51pm on February 22, 2011.

Residents were at work, school, and going about their daily lives at the time, unlike the quake on September 4, 2010, which struck at 4:34am. 

Three News, local, and global news reports in the aftermath of the quake showed buildings toppled, liquefaction pouring out of the ground, and widespread panic.

In total, 185 people died and news of the quake quickly spread across the world. BBC News reports out of the UK showed the crumbled CTV building, saying there were "multiple fatalities" and hundreds trapped.

Channel 7 in Australia described it as a "killer quake" and that Christchurch was a city in "chaos". 

Speaking to the station's Sunrise programme, then-3 News Australia correspondent, now The AM Show presenter, Amanda Gillies recounted when she found out about the quake.

"I rang my work and they said - 'this is the big one, it's worse than last time,'" she said. "I was able to see what was happening - seeing the terrified faces of my colleagues back home. 

"You could see the fear in their faces - I had to wait another 24 hours before I found out if other friends were okay. We simply couldn't get through."   

CNN described the quake as a "very serious situation". Then-Three News presenter Hillary Barry told the US news station that Christchurch had run out of ambulances to carry injured people to the hospital.

Fox News in the US said the city resembled a "war zone" with victims "staggering through the streets".

"They dealt with an earthquake in September - nothing prepared them for this," reported Hamish MacDonald from Australia's Channel 10.

The UK's Channel 4 News said the quake had caused a "once vibrant city" to be "brought to its knees".

Since the deadly February quake, much has been repaired, rebuilt, and created, though the huge tract of red-zone land will take years to transform.

A service will be held at the Canterbury Earthquake on Monday to reflect on the devastating quake. Christchurch City Mayor Lianne Dalziel told Newshub the quake continues to have a massive impact on the city, but that progress has been made.

"It had just such a big impact on our city."

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