?People pass by a church damaged by earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand on Feb. 22, 2019. A ceremony was held on Friday in New Zealand's second largest city of Christchurch to mark the 8th anniversary of a devastating quake that claimed 185 lives spanning more than 20 nationalities, including 23 Chinese students. A 6.3-magnitude quake struck the city on Feb. 22, 2011, with a depth of only 4 km. Then-Prime Minister John Key described the disaster as "New Zealand's darkest day." (Xinhua/Guo Lei)
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony was held on Friday in New Zealand's second largest city of Christchurch to mark the 8th anniversary of a devastating quake that claimed 185 lives spanning more than 20 nationalities, including 23 Chinese students.
A 6.3-magnitude quake struck the city on Feb. 22, 2011, with a depth of only 4 km. Then-Prime Minister John Key described the disaster as "New Zealand's darkest day."
Hundreds of people with solemn faces threw flowers in the Avon River in Christchurch's central city where many buildings had crumbled in a flash during the quakes.
People hugged each other, people who lost their loved ones in the quakes were sobbing.
At the ceremony, the names of the quake victims were read out by people of different nationalities. A Chinese woman read out the names of the Chinese students killed by the quake.
International rescue teams arrived within 48 hours after the Feb. 22 quake. The Chinese government dispatched a 10-person search and rescue team which arrived 36 hours after the quake.
The earthquake and aftershocks caused substantial destruction to Christchurch in 2011. Statistics showed more than 1,200 commercial buildings were destroyed, and around 90 percent of residential houses were damaged to varying degrees.
It is estimated that the total cost for Christchurch's reconstruction will exceed 40 billion NZ dollars (27 billion U.S. dollars), which equals approximately 10 percent of New Zealand's gross domestic product (GDP).
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel, in black, said at Friday's ceremony, "let us look to our future, always remembering our past."
