Christchurch buildings unfit for habitation, will be demolished soon

Wellington, Feb.27 (ANI): The Experts have said that nearly half of the Christchurch buildings are not fit for habitation and the buildings will be demolished once the search for victims gets completed.

Gerry Brownlee Earthquake Recovery Minister said there were no plans to ease the safety cordon around the Central Business District because most of the older buildings were unsafe.

According to the news.co.au website he said: "Those buildings will have to be sorted out fairly swiftly - they don't have a future."

He further added that once the bodies are recovered there would be a huge demolition across the CBD area.

He added, "Sites will have to be cleared so that people can have confidence it's safe to come back into the CBD."

The doubts are raising about whether the city will be able to host Rugby World Cup games this year or not.

Brownlee said: "To lose the Rugby World Cup from Christchurch would be a massive blow. I don't want to see it happen but we've got to be realistic about the prospect. We're too far ahead of ourselves talking about it today."

One in six of the 5441 homes have been checked and have been "red-stickered" by Civil Defence, which means they are dangerous and should be evacuated immediately.

The operation to restore vital services as soon as possible is remaining a priority, with thousands of people without power, water or sewerage. (ANI)