New Zealand remembers 185 people killed in the earthquake 10 years ago

Wellington – New Zealand lowered its flags on Monday and made a special note for those unable to travel as it celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake that killed 185 people.

Hundreds of people attended an outdoor service in Christchurch, which continues to rebuild from the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that destroyed much of the city center. A separate mass was held in the northern Japanese city of Toyama, home to the 12 students who died in the earthquake.

Speaking at the Christchurch party, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was important to remember that 87 of the victims were foreigners and that many of their families were unable to be there due to travel restrictions due to the Coronavirus.

“Our flags are flying half-mast for them today, too,” she said.

Christchurch Mayor Leanne Dalziel spoke of the deaths of 28 Japanese citizens, the largest number of victims of any country outside New Zealand.

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“I especially wanted to mention all the Japanese family members I met last year in Japan and who wanted to be here,” she said. “This tragedy is eternally connected and we do not forget you even when we are separated. You are with us in spirit.”

Another person who spoke at the Christchurch service is Maan al-Qaisi, a university professor who spent years trying to press the authorities to bring criminal charges against those who designed the CTV building that collapsed during the earthquake, killing 115 people including his wife Maysoon Abbas.

A review after the earthquake found that the building’s design was flawed and should never be approved.

“Today commemorates 10 years of injustice and abuse. Today reminds us of our responsibility to make sure we learn from this tragic experience and honor those wonderful people we lost by ensuring that their dreams survive, by ensuring that it never happens again,” Al-Qaisi said.

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A memorial service was held on the banks of the Avon River, and people observed a minute of silence at 12:51 pm, the moment of the earthquake in 2011. Emergency service workers and others took turns reading the names of each of the victims.

In a touching moment, Dalziel read a letter from Bob Parker, who was the mayor of the city at the time of the earthquake and became an internationally recognized face of the tragedy. Parker recently had a stroke and attended service in a wheelchair.

The quake affected people in several ways, Ardern said, and daily reminders, including aftershocks and ground cracks, made recovery more difficult.

“After ten years, people will still live their daily lives in the shadow of that long day,” she said.

“But as we look to the next decade, I see hope, energy and optimism. I see Christchurch in its rightful place among the best and brightest cities in New Zealand,” she said.

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In Toyama, more than 100 family members, friends and school officials observed a minute of silence in mourning for the victim students and offered flowers during a ceremony at the Toyama College of Foreign Languages. Most of them joined online due to coronavirus measures.

“Now, 10 years after the earthquake, grief for the loss of you all and indescribable regret is once again in our hearts,” said Tamhisa Ueda, the school principal, at the ceremony.

The 12 Japanese students were having lunch at King’s Education, an English language school for international students, when the earthquake struck, destroying the building.

Masatsugu Yokota, whose daughter Saki died at the age of 19 in the earthquake, told NHK public television that he still missed her.

He said, “I still look for her while she is walking around the city, or wherever I go.”

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato pledged the government’s continued support for the families of the victims.

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Contributed to this photojournalistic report by Associated Press Chisato Tanaka from Toyama, Japan.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

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