New Zealand remembers 185 who died in quake a decade ago
23 February, 2021
New Zealand reduced its flags on Monday and made special notice of those who couldn't travel as it marked the 10th anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake that killed 185 people.
Hundreds of men and women attended a patio service found in Christchurch, which continues to rebuild from the magnitude 6.3 quake that destroyed much of its downtown. A separate service was also placed in the northern Japanese city of Toyama, home to 12 learners who passed away in the quake.
Speaking at the Christchurch ceremony, New Zealand Primary Minister Jacinda Ardern explained it was important to remember that 87 of the victims had been foreigners and many of their families couldn't be right now there because of coronavirus travel restrictions.
"Our flags fly at half-mast for them today as well," she said.
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel discussed the 28 Japanese residents who died, the major amount of victims from any nation beyond New Zealand.
"I especially wanted to mention all of the Japanese family who I this past year met found in Japan and who as a result wanted to be right here," she stated. "We are forever linked by this tragedy and we do not forget you even though we are apart. You are around in spirit."
Another person who spoke at the Christchurch service was Maan Alkaisi, a university professor who has spent years looking to get authorities to press criminal charges against those that designed the CTV setting up which collapsed through the quake, killing 115 persons including his wife, Maysoon Abbas.
A review following the quake found the building's design was flawed and it should never have been approved.
"Today commemorates a decade of injustice and mistreatment," Alkaisi said. "Today reminds us of our responsibility to ensure we learn from this tragic experience and honor those beautiful persons we lost by guaranteeing their dreams are held alive, by ensuring this won't happen again."
The memorial service happened on the banks of the Avon River, and people observed a moment's silence at 12:51 p.m., the moment the quake struck in 2011. Emergency service employees and others had taken turns studying out the names of each of the victims.
In a touching moment, Dalziel read aloud a note from Bob Parker, who was the mayor during the quake and became an internationally best-known face of the tragedy. Parker lately experienced a stroke and attended the provider in a wheelchair.
Ardern said the quake had affected people in lots of ways, and daily reminders including aftershocks and the fractured landscape had made the restoration harder.
"Ten years on there will be people even now living their daily lives with the prolonged shadow of this day," she said.
"But just as we look forward to the coming 10 years, I see hope and strength and optimism," she said. "And I see Christchurch acquiring its rightful place among New Zealand's very best and brightest cities."
In Toyama, a lot more than 100 members of the family, friends and university officials observed an instant of silence for the pupil victims and offered flowers throughout a ceremony at the Toyama School of Foreign Languages. A lot of them joined on the web because of coronavirus measures.
"Now, 10 years after that earthquake, the sadness of losing you all and the indescribable regret happen to be once again inside our hearts," Tamehisa Ueda, the brain of the school, said in the ceremony.
The 12 Japanese students were having lunchtime at King's Education, an English dialect school for international students, when the quake struck, destroying the building.
Masatsugu Yokota, whose girl Saki died at age group 19 found in the quake, told NHK people television that he even now misses her.
"I still search for her while jogging around, or wherever I go," he said.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato pledged the government's ongoing assist for the victims' families.
Source: japantoday.com
TAG(s):