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Devastation in Christchurch, New Zealand; Inside Libya; U.N. Ambassador From Libya Denounces Leader

Aired February 22, 2011 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, ANCHOR: Welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong.

Christchurch in ruins. A powerful earthquake strikes New Zealand, and many are feared buried beneath the rubble.

Libya's embattled leader makes a public appearance to announce that he is still in charge.

And tens of thousands march in protest in Bahrain, the biggest anti- government rally since the unrest began.

Well, Christchurch, New Zealand, is enduring a long, nervous night. Multiple aftershocks have rocked the country's second largest city. The survivors say each one sends them scrambling.

Now, the city is in ruins after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck. Now, buildings have crumbled, roads are ripped up, and most of the area is without power or water. One witness who was on the street during the quake says it felt like running on jelly.

Now, this is what is left of the iconic Christchurch Cathedral. The enormous fire (ph) is gone, and so is much of the roof. The dean of the Anglican cathedral says visitors were inside when the quake struck and fears that some may now be trapped. At least 65 people are dead, and that number is expected to rise.

And the prime minister has sent police, military and rescue crews across the country to help in Christchurch. John Key says the situation is heartbreaking and maybe New Zealand's darkest day.

Now, the quake hit around lunchtime in Christchurch. Hundreds of workers were still in their offices and became trapped in the rubble. Now, this financial services building collapsed in on itself.

Now, Lachlan Forsyth from New Zealand's TV 3 shows us the chaos that followed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LACHLAN FORSYTH, REPORTER, TV 3 (voice-over): These are the tense moments after the earthquake struck.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, the Pyne Gould building. It's my building.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's your work. It's your workplace? Were you in there at the time?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. We wouldn't have even got out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did people come out of there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

FORSYTH: Many here were returning from their lunch break and were presented with (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's up here! It's up here!

FORSYTH: With unknown numbers under the rubble, (INAUDIBLE) was being used to reach those trapped. Ordinary office workers turned rescuers, ignoring their own safety to ensure the safety of others.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just coming out of the tulips (ph) and I got thrown backwards, down, and landed into the third floor. Kind of didn't really know what happened. And then I heard some people screaming out which are on the second or third floor, and managed to throw them out the side, but the --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we managed to pull them through and climb out under all this glass, and through the (INAUDIBLE). Through the floor (ph) and under all these tools and glass and --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you see anyone else trapped in there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a guy on the second floor that was, like, (INAUDIBLE), concrete and stuff. And God, never saw anything like it in my life.

FORSYTH: The Pyne Gould Corporation building on Cambridge Terrace held financial advisers and insurance brokers. Many offices, many workers. With those on the outside safe, concerns were immediately for those in the inside.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've (INAUDIBLE) under concrete on the fourth floor. They're coming in from the deck.

FORSYTH: Office worker Christy Clemens (ph), isolated, terrified and desperate to be rescued before another aftershock.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christy, just keep away from the edge. The poor girl.

FORSYTH: She endured what could only have been a terrifying wait on an unstable ledge until she was eventually rescued and carried to safety.

Among the first people on the scene was (INAUDIBLE) reporter Natasha Athy (ph).

NATASHA ATHY (ph), REPORTER: This is one of the many buildings in Christchurch which was completely destroyed. It's only 100 meters from TV 3, so it's the first building we came to. There's about 200 people in there. Some have been coming up, but there are countless trapped. And it's just a horrific scene right now here.

What floor were you on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Level two.

ATHY: Level two. And how did you get out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We crawled throughout the lunchroom to a fire escape, but it had all collapsed. So we were just on a concrete edge of the building. And then the fire trucks led us, helped us out.

ATHY: How many of you got out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Five of us.

ATHY: And do you know how many of your colleagues are still in there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's about 10 people still from my work in there.

FORSYTH: As workers emerged from the rubble, the scale of injuries was horribly (INAUDIBLE). Person after person was carried out, some in the arms or on the shoulders of coworkers. Others were (INAUDIBLE) makeshift stretchers, some covered in dust, some covered in blood. But all here showed the emotion of these terrible scenes.

Still, people emerged, bloodied, but able to walk out on their own. Others were more serious -- broken limbs, broken bodies, being loaded into any available vehicle, as the desperate efforts continued to find the trapped and help the injured.

Lachlan Forsyth, 3 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Some very dramatic pictures there, severely injured people you saw just blood streaming down from their faces.

The latest reports from New Zealand media say that more than two dozen people are still trapped in that office building. And we heard one woman named Ann Voss describe being pinned under her desk. But it has been very difficult to get an update on her situation.

Now, here is her earlier conversation with New Zealand's TV 3.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNE VOSS, TRAPPED IN EARTHQUAKE: I hope someone knows I'm here. I supposed they do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. You said earlier it sounded like rescuers were coming.

VOSS: Yes, but there were other people on other floors, and I suppose they're going up -- trying to get out, you know, everyone else. And I just have to wait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes. What goes through your mind?

VOSS: Well, a couple of hours ago, I thought I had it. I thought that's it, you know. Goodbye, end.

But I managed to wiggle a bit out and breathe a bit, because I couldn't breathe. There was no air. And now I've got to wait, I've got to be here. So I'm a bit happier.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you have your cell phone with you. Have you used it previously?

VOSS: I have, yes. I rang my kids to say goodbye.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me about that conversation.

VOSS: I actually -- oh, it was horrible. My daughter was crying and I was crying because I really thought that was it. But, you know, you want to tell them you love them. Don't you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you see -- you say it's dark where you are. Has it been dark since --

VOSS: Sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- the earthquake, Ann?

VOSS: Yes, it has. And I don't think we've got any power through -- you know, everything is going to be dark tonight. It's not going to be very good for people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

VOSS: I really -- I have no idea what's going on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You sound like you're bearing up pretty well.

VOSS: I'm trying. I'm trying. I've had my moments.

As I say, a few hours ago I was ready to just -- I thought take me away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to the point where you thought you might give up, but you're clearly hanging on there.

VOSS: I am. I'm not going to give up. I'm going to wait now. I've gone through this. They're going to come and get me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: She's not going to give up. Again, we are still trying to reach her, Ann Voss, but it is very difficult to get an update on how she is.

Now, just a few kilometers down the road, in Sumner, there were more scenes of devastation. Now, Briton Gavin Blowman captured the moment. A huge landslide threatened lives and livelihoods.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAVIN BLOWMAN: The rocks are falling down (INAUDIBLE) Christchurch. And this giant rock has just fallen on the RSA (ph) building. And you can see it's crushed the building there and the cars. It's terrifying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: New Zealanders are in a state of shock, and Prime Minister John Key was no different as he reflected on the disaster around him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KEY, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: It's hard to put words around this. I mean, this is a city that suffered an enormous quake about six months. But I think we all went away and had seen how lucky we were that it happened at a time where lives were spared. But it's the opposite this time.

The center of the city last time obviously bore some of the brunt, but nothing like this time, where it's just been utterly devastated. And the buildings (INAUDIBLE) everywhere. The roads are in a state of disrepair. It's just hard to describe what was a vibrant city two hours ago now has just been brought to its knees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: And once again in times of trouble people are turning to the Internet. Google has created this people finder service to help those searching for loved ones after the quake.

Now, visitors to the site, you can look for someone or you can leave information about someone who is alive and well. Now, today the site has records of more than 4,500 people either missing or found. Now, Google provided a similar tool in the aftermath of the Haiti and Chile earthquakes last year.

Now, coming up next on NEWS STREAM, with Libya's leader having faced days of protests against him, his support appears to be crumbling. And we hear from a bullish Colonel Gadhafi.

In Bahrain, days of demonstration are continuing, and a major opposition figure plans on a dramatic homecoming.

And we are on patrol along one of the world's most dangerous borders.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, in Libya, President Moammar Gadhafi has made an appearance on television, partly to quell rumors he has fled the country. It comes after days of anti-regime protests and follows reports that air strikes targeted protesters on Monday. Now, a Libyan opposition leader says helicopters fired into crowds Monday night, but a Libyan diplomat denies that.

Much of eastern Libya appears to be under opposition control, but Gadhafi, he remains defiant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOAMMAR GADHAFI, LIBYAN PRESIDENT: I'm not in France or in Venezuela. Don't believe the dogs in the media. I'm still here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now, just to clarify, you heard Colonel Gadhafi say, "Don't believe the dogs in the media. I'm still here."

Now, CNN's Ben Wedeman has managed to enter Libya. He is the first Western TV reporter to report from inside the country since the uprising against Gadhafi began. And he filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We were able to go to the city of (INAUDIBLE), in eastern Libya, where we saw that despite what Colonel Gadhafi is saying, he is not in control of the eastern part of the country. There's no army, no police on the streets. The anti-Gadhafi protesters have been able to burn down the police station, burn down party headquarters, burn down the intelligence headquarters.

They are in open revolt. Some of the protesters telling us they not only want to overthrow the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, they want to see him killed or put on trial in the International Court of The Hague.

We also heard from some people that they have a plan to cut the export of oil from eastern Libya. Eastern Libya is where much of Libya's oil comes from. And this they say they will do unless the massacres, as they describe them, committed by the Gadhafi regime are put to an end.

Otherwise, the situation in this part of the country seems fairly calm. Gas stations are open. Some stores are open. Although, clearly, people are not going about their normal lives.

One of the big concerns here is that the Libyan air force, which has been used against protesters in Tripoli, could be used again in this area to punish the people of eastern Libya for trying to overthrow the regime of Moammar Gadhafi.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from eastern Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, CNN's Zain Verjee looks at how Moammar Gadhafi has remained at the helm in Libya for more than 40 years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Mad dog of the Middle East." That's what his enemies once called him. Colonel Moammar Gadhafi has ruled Libya for 42 years with an iron grip.

DR. BARACK SEENER, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST, RUSI: He's megalomania eccentric and (INAUDIBLE) advanced successfully the cult of personality in that he's almost Godlike.

VERJEE: He seized power in a military coup in 1969 and has ruled since as a dictator.

In the 1970s and '80s, Gadhafi's relationship with the West turned violent. In central London --

(on camera): -- at this very spot during a 1984 demonstration just outside the Libyan embassy, policewoman Yvonne Fletcher (ph) was shot and killed from gunfire coming from the embassy.

(voice-over): Relations went from bad to worse when Gadhafi began sponsoring terrorism when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing over 270 people. An investigation showed Libya was behind the attack.

The country became a pariah. Hit with sanctions, Colonel Gadhafi was isolated.

The turning point, the 2003 Iraq War. Worried that he would become the next target of U.S. military action, Gadhafi agreed to give up his pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and he paid compensation to the families of Lockerbie bombing victims.

HEBA MORAYEF, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: His reintegration in the international community has been despite the very abusive human rights record, and because of the obvious interest on the part of the West in Libya's oil wells.

VERJEE: Wherever Gadhafi went, his famous female bodyguards went with him.

The Libyan stage wasn't enough for Gadhafi. He loved the international limelight at the United Nations, refusing to give up the mike for 94 minutes. He ripped the U.N. Charter.

The U.K.'s dealings with Libya came under harsh scrutiny when it was alleged convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel al-Megrahi, supposedly dying of cancer, was released in what critics said was an exchange for a lucrative oil deal.

Gadhafi's regime has fought to keep control for more than 40 years. Until now, most of the threats have been external. This time, there's evidence his own people may have had enough.

Zain Verjee, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, the Arab League is set to hold an urgent meeting to discuss developments in Libya. Now, that get-together comes as Gadhafi's support within his own government seems to be slipping.

Well, a top Libyan diplomat stationed right here in China has resigned to protest his government's violent crackdown on protesters. He has also called on the Libyan leader to step down and to leave the country.

And two Libyan air force pilots based here in Malta, they have actually defected to Malta. And a Maltese government source says they were asked to bomb Libyan citizens.

Now, let's go back to Tripoli. And there, Libya's justice minister has resigned. He is protesting the bloody situation and use of excessive force against anti-government demonstrators. That information was reported in a formerly pro-government newspaper.

And then at the United Nations, in New York, an unexpected message from Libya's deputy ambassador. He says Gadhafi has declared war on the Libyan people and is committing genocide.

Richard Roth has more on those comments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was an extraordinarily undiplomatic moment -- the deputy U.N. ambassador from Libya denouncing the leader of his own country, Moammar Gadhafi.

IBRAHIM DABBASHI, LIBYAN DEPUTY AMBASSADOR TO UN: We come to the conclusion that it is, in fact, a declaration of war against the Libyan people. The regime of Gadhafi has already started the genocide against the Libyan people for quite some time, from the 15th of January.

ROTH: The envoy was backed up in the lobby of the Libyan mission by a dozen other Libyan staff members. The deputy ambassador says he isn't worried about his own fate, his team is more concerned about the Libyan people under attack inside Libya.

DABBASHI: We are expecting genocide in Tripoli. So we are calling on the United Nations to impose a non-flight zone in all the cities so to cut off all supplies of arms and materials to the regime.

ROTH: An extremely surreal site in the shadow of one of the many portraits of Moammar Gadhafi on a horse, his deputy in New York demanding the International Criminal Court investigate Gadhafi for crimes against humanity.

DABBASHI: I call on all countries of the world, also, to not permit Gadhafi to -- to escape inside their territories. And I call on all of them to watch carefully any -- any amount of money which may be flew outside of Libya.

ROTH: The deputy said he didn't know where his boss, the ambassador, was. Unless they are in agreement on what he said, it should be an interesting day at the office on Tuesday.

Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

STOUT: Now, the U.N. Security Council set to meet next hour on Libya on the first such discussion of the recent unrest in the Arab world.

And we're getting some disturbing glimpses of the crackdown inside Libya. We want to warn you that this video may be difficult to watch.

Now, this cell phone footage, it is said to show the burned bodies of soldiers who refused to shoot at anti-government demonstrators. Even human rights groups says that what is happening in Libya may amount to crimes against humanity. And it follows an unusually strong statement from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon denouncing the use of violence against the protesters.

And this just in to us here at CNN. Libya's ambassador to the United States is now calling for the man who appointed him to leave. Ali Ageli told the U.S. TV network ABC that Moammar Gadhafi should step down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI AGELI, LIBYAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. (through translator): I'm calling for him to go. I am calling for him to go and leave our people alone.

Tripoli now is under gunfire. Tripoli, it is burning. The eastern part is under the control of the people. But if the regime managed to hit Tripoli and managed to control Tripoli, Benghazi, and the other cities in the west, that they would return back again and they would hit it again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: The Libyan ambassador to the U.S. there.

Up next here on NEWS STREAM, it is a decisive day for Bahrain. An opposition leader plans to return home, and he'll be returning home to this. We'll be live in Manama as more protesters pour into the Pearl Roundabout.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you are back watching NEWS STREAM.

Two months ago in Tunisia, a young man who sold fruits and vegetables on the street set himself on fire. It was an act of protest. Now, police had just confiscated his produce because he lacked a necessary permit. And as Mohammed Bouazizi was hospitalized, where he later died, the public outcry around his case prompted days of anti-government protests. And in the end, it toppled the regime.

Now, that story had barely finished when all eyes turned eastward to Egypt. Now, citing police corruption and state-sanctioned abuses, protesters there wanted their president gone.

Hosni Mubarak remained defiant for more than two weeks before he, too, succumbed to the pressure. And from there, the protests have spread. Now, across the Red Sea, in Yemen, demonstrators wanting their president to resign have been chanting, "First Mubarak, and now Ali."

And a few minutes ago, we just heard the latest from Libya. Leader Moammar Gadhafi trying to blunt an uprising there.

And in Bahrain, pressure is mounting on the country's ruling party. More mass protests are taking place today.

Let's get the very latest from our Arwa Damon. She is in the capital, Manama, joins us live now.

And Arwa, what is the situation on the streets?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, there's a pretty impressive demonstration happening right now -- a march, rather. Tens of thousands of Bahrainis taking to the streets.

You see the tail end of it. The women (ph) there in the crowd are calling for an end to the current government. They say they want to see the prime minister out, they want equal rights. They're chanting, "Down, down with the government!" They're also chanting, "No Sunni, no Shia, only Bahrain!"

This does most certainly appear to be the largest anti-government turnout to date. The demonstrators saying that they want to keep up the pressure on the government.

Interestingly, the military and the police, nowhere to be seen. This, part of something of a truce arrangement that was come to between the government and the anti-government demonstrators, especially following the horrific violence that we saw taking place Thursday and Friday.

They also have been saying, "With our blood and our souls we will fight for you, oh Martyrs," referring to those who were killed when the police and the military at various points in time opened fire on the demonstrators.

We did in fact attend a funeral for a young man this morning, 32-year-old Reda Houmayd (ph), a father of three, a fisherman who was killed on Friday, when the demonstrators tried to take back Pearl Roundabout. He was part of a group that approached the military and police, hands in the air, chanting, "Peaceful! Peaceful!" when we saw them opening fire.

This march started out in Pearl Roundabout and has made its way back around, only growing larger as the hours went by -- Kristie.

STOUT: And Arwa, when the exiled opposition leader Hasan Mushaima makes his way back to Bahrain a few hours from now and sees those crowds outside, what's going to happen? What kind of a reception will he get?

DAMON: Well, Kristie, the return of Hassan Meshaima the secretary general of the al Haq Party, the largest opposition party, is going to be something to watch very closely. There was in fact an arrest warrant for him issued in September on charges of wanting to overthrow the regime. We spoke with one of his associates last night who said that Meshaima fully expected that he would be arrested upon his return. He then, however, heard from the government saying that they were closing the case against him. This most certainly appears to be yet another move by the government to try to regain confidence amongst the people.

He was originally supposed to arrive here from London at 7:00 pm. Now we're hearing he's coming via Beirut expected later on tonight at around 10:30, Kristie.

STOUT: Arwa, thank you for that. Arwa Damon joining us live from Bahrain.

Now we're following the aftermath of New Zealand's massive earthquake. And rescuers there working into the night. They were trying to find people trapped beneath the ruins of buildings.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to search every little crevice and every crack, because you know they can hide anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now we are on patrol on the U.S.-Mexico border. And we'll show you what agents come across in a day's work.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Now night has fallen on what New Zealand's prime minister called the country's darkest day. Many will be bedding down for the night without power, without water and without knowing that their loved ones are safe. Anna Coren walks us through the disaster as it happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The moment the quake hit -- 12:51 pm local time, in the middle of the lunch hour. A 6.3 magnitude quake, centered southeast of Christchurch on the South Island, a city in shock. It triggered widespread damage with buildings collapsed in the center of the city, at least one on fire.

The four story Pine Gold Guiness (ph) building pancacked and tipped over, it's home to 200 office workers.

Firefighters rescued this woman from the roof. She was in remarkably good condition.

Rescuers also used a crane to pluck people from a balcony 17 stories up after the building stairwells collapsed.

Also badly damaged, the city's famed cathedral. This local reporter was able to take a look inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Outside is completely caved in where the tower was. Well, you can go upstairs and take a view of the place. Wow.

COREN: Along with the collapsed buildings, power has been knocked out in many places, roads have buckled and the city has run out of ambulances.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These people (inaudible), stuck under a (inaudible) and then we got out and was trying to get over to me. I don't know if he's got out. I don't know if they got him out here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was on the fourth floor and I was just coming out of the toilets and I got thrown backwards down the landing onto the third floor. And I didn't really know what happened. And then I heard some people screaming out that were on the second or third floor and managed to pull them out through the side, but I've never seen anything like it in my life. And I don't ever want to again to be fair. I can't even believe I'm talking to you guys now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable, unbelievable.

COREN: Prime Minister John Key spoke at parliament in Wellington before heading to Christchurch.

JOHN KEY, PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: It's hard to put words around this. I mean, this is a city that suffered enormously about six months ago, but I think we all in a way and see how lucky we were that it hit during a time where lives were spared. But it's the opposite this time. The center of the city last time obviously bore some of the brunt, but nothing like this time where it's just been utterly devastated. And, you know, the buildings collapsed everywhere, there's (inaudible) over the road, all over the place the roads are in a state of disrepair. It's just hard to describe what was a vibrant city a few hours ago now has just been butchered.

COREN: This comes after a stronger quake that hit last September. But the damage from today's shallower tremor appears to be far more devastating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you call out to us please?

COREN: According to government officials, rescue teams from around the country are heading to Christchurch. And they've also accepted offers of help from overseas. This as the search for survivors unfolds in the days ahead.

Anna Coren, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now it was 12:51 local time on a summer's afternoon when the quake hit disrupting the lives of thousands of New Zealanders and just in a few violent seconds at least 65 people died.

Now the former U.S. ambassador Chris Hill was there.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CHRIS HILL, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO NEW ZEALAND: Well, I'm fine. It was quite extraordinary. You know, first of all it's a -- it was a very nice sort of summer day. It had rained earlier in the day, but it was very warm. Earlier in our conference we felt sort of jolts, in fact I was speaking to the conference and I made a crack about this is like being back in Baghdad. But by the time lunch happened it was -- I've never been subjected to such violent shaking. I mean, I've been in earthquakes where there's a kind of deep rumble and you kind of feel that, but this was just a violent shaking. It was as if some giant took the room that you were sitting in and just shook it. All the waiters and waitresses fell down, glasses broke everywhere. It was really quite extraordinary.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

STOUT: Christopher Hill, an eyewitness to the earthquake.

Now, it's almost 14 hours since the magnitude 6.3 quake rocked Christchurch. And since then, there have been dozens of aftershocks, and each one causing more damage to buildings and infrastructure, including this iconic cathedral.

Now in the early hours of the morning, large sections of the city are shrouded in darkness without power and running water.

Now the city's Mayor Bob Parker urged residence to conserve their supplies and save water and use it only for drinking. Also to refrain from making phone calls because the emergency services need the network and even to dig a hole to use the toilet if necessary, because sewage systems have failed. But that's for the lucky ones.

Now for others who are still trapped in fallen buildings, the situation is even more dire.

Now let's find out about the conditions in the area. Now Cameron Betts (ph) was in the center of town when the quake hit. He joins us now on the line from Ashburton. It's about an hour-and-a-half south of Christchurch.

Cameron, welcome to NEWS STREAM. You experienced the quake while you were at university in the center of town.

Walk us through what happened.

CAMERON BETTS, EARTHQUAKE WITNESS: Probably it was about noon when it happened. I was sitting in the loo, out of all places, at my broadcasting school building where I'm studying at the moment. And all of a sudden this big shake just rocked the building, something I've never experienced before. I've only been in Christchurch for two weeks so far. But actually our building was made of quite -- using such concrete walls, so it held up quite well. We -- even though I was hysterical, sort of ran down the stairs, the power went out quite quickly. We were told by (inaudible) to stay indoors at the beginning, but then we slowly moved out and met on our campus evacuation point. And at that stage, we can see all the damage that had occurred up and down the street.

STOUT: You mentioned everyone was hysterical, but how about you? What were you going through? How were you feeling at the time?

BETTS: Yeah, I mean, it's hard to explain really. It's mixed emotions, you know, it's hard to explain. I've never gone through anything like it before in my life, as I say. I'm from a small town in the North Island of New Zealand, so I've been down here for a very short time. And (inaudible) like this. So I was pretty frightened.

STOUT: What happened to your home? And where did you sleep tonight?

BETTS: My apartment is right in the center of Christchurch. It's about two blocks away from my school, my broadcasting school. Now I can't get anywhere close to that. So I have no idea what the building looks like or what the state of it's like, but I'm hoping to get in there tomorrow so I can get some of my gear out, but I guess all will be seen in due course. There's lots and lots of roadblocks. So police are forcing everyone out of town.

STOUT: Now Cameron, before the sun went down you had a very good look at the devastation. In fact, you went out and took some photographs. We're airing those photographs right now. Can you describe what you saw?

BETTS: Yeah, I mean, as I tell you it was bricks everywhere, cars, car horns just continuously going, power lines were down, huge, huge cracks in the road, a lot of liquid coming up from beneath those cracks which is like a clay sort of muddy type substance. There was a lot of sewage pipes broken, water pipes. Yeah, I mean, people just running -- running and sort of not knowing really what do to next sort of thing.

STOUT: All right, well Cameron thank you for telling us your story, sharing that with us. Cameron Betts joining us live from Ashburton.

Now it is summer now in New Zealand. The Christchurch rarely gets too warm. Now let's bring Guillermo Arduino for an extended forecast. Guillermo.

GUILLERMO ARDUINO, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hey. Kristie, yeah what happens here is that it's way down there in the south and also it's an island, or a couple of islands surrounded by a lot of water, so the temperature contrast is not that significant. We see a system going through, so the winds are going to come from the south now. It's going to be slightly below average. So what is summer like in Christchurch? Well, like this, 22 degrees Celsius is the average high and 12, which for many would be cold, but in New Zealand standards 12 degrees is not cold. So we see Wednesday is going to be cooler with some showers and then we see here conditions and temperatures go down again. It's not going to be bad. I think it is very good weather conditions.

A couple of things important to say, because amid all the craziness and the confusion we need to clarify that this cyclone way to the north is not, and let me emphasize on it, not going to New Zealand to make landfall because when a situation like this happens, the information can get mixed up. So it is way to the north and it's leading to Fiji and Vanuatu and New Caledonia area. When you see the forecast map, you're going to see that in the next three days, first of all, it's a time-wise we're far away from this system to be close to New Zealand and it's not expected to make landfall. So again, not a problem with this cyclone, OK? It's going to be in the open water.

A couple of things that we need to bear in mind when we talk about an earthquake like this, if the terrain were rocky like in Chile, the shaking is not that intense, but when the terrain is sandy, and that's the case of Christchurch, you know, the ground shakes violently because it is softer. It's like Haiti. And in this case, you know, you say 6.3 and all this damage, what's going on? Well, we need to take into account depth. And it's only five kilometers deep. We're talking about the 6.3. So this graphic illustrates what happens when the earthquake is shallow like the one in New Zealand today than we see the shaking more severely on the ground. That's why the 6.3 doesn't seem to be that intense, but when we take into account the depth, it has been.

And also, and this is perhaps more importantly, is that New Zealand is right in between the Australian plate and the Pacific plate, so that's one that when the ground shakes to accommodate. So when we have an earthquake, there's movement of these plates. And now we may see aftershocks for months until things go back to sort of settling down again. So don't be panic -- panicking in case you feel some more shaking on the ground, it should be lower than what we have seen so far.

And finally, the 7.1 on the 4th of September was inside, not on a sandy foundation, more rocky area. That's why the shaking wasn't that violent.

So we need to entertain all these aspects. And remember there are going to be more aftershocks for months now until everything goes back to its normal position -- Kristie.

STOUT: So more aftershocks ahead, but less in magnitude. Guillermo Arduino, thank you very much for that.

Now, Britain's Queen Elizabeth is the head of state of New Zealand. And she sent this message to the prime minister, quote, "I've been utterly shocked by the news of another earthquake in Christchurch. Please convey my deep sympathy to the families and friends of those who have been killed. My thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this dreadful event. My thoughts are also with the emergency services and everyone who is assisting in the rescue efforts."

Now ahead on NEWS STREAM, when it's too dark to see much along the U.S. border with Mexico the work of U.S. border agents becomes even more pressing and more dangerous.

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STOUT: Welcome back.

Now this just in to CNN. Now take a look at these new pictures. Now they are coming from Libyan state television. There are dozens of people out. They are showing their support of the Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Now just earlier this hour, we learned that the Libyan ambassador to the United States is calling for Gadhafi to resign. There's also word that the Dutch government has been authorized to land military plane in Tripoli to evacuate its citizens.

Now CNN will stay on top of this story and we are the first western news organization to get a TV reporter on the ground inside Libya and we will continue to update you.

Now the funeral of a U.S. immigration agent who was shot and killed in Mexico is scheduled to take place in about an hour. Now the body of Jaime Zapata has been returned to his hometown in Texas. One week ago today he was traveling on a Mexican highway with another agent who was injured when their car was run off the road. Investigators suspects the Zetas drug cartel is responsible.

Even by Mexican standards, the past three or four days have been deadly in Mexico. Authorities say 53 people were killed in Cuidad Juarez between Thursday and Saturday and 13 taxi drivers were killed in the resort city of Acapulco. Now Mexico Open tennis tournament nonetheless is going ahead, but security is being stepped up. Now the organizers said this, "following an independent security assessment and discussion with tournament organizers, we are satisfied that responsible measures are being taken and that the event has the full support of the authorities of Acapulco and the Mexican federal government."

Now each night U.S. agents make hundreds of arrest along the country's border with Mexico. They come across loads of ammunition, drugs and illegal immigrants saying that they are looking for a better life. Rafael Romo joined a group of U.S. border agents on patrol in the state of Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The call comes in and we rush to the scene. It's dark and agents know they only have minutes to find the suspect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He jumped the fence and, you know, he didn't stop. He just kept running.

ROMO: Agent Rudy Garcia (ph) finds the men hiding underneath a platform in a backyard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you have to search every little crevice and every crack, because you know, they can hide anywhere.

ROMO: The migrant says he comes from southern Mexico. Not far from there, seven more would-be immigrants had been arrested, including this 32-year- old man. Before the night is over, agents say they will detain more than 300 people. This is Nogales, Arizona, a battlefront in the fight against smuggling organizations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They like to try and operate under the cover of darkness, that they think that they're not going to be seen.

ROMO: From a nearby control room, infrared technology gives agents eyes in the dark. Daylight reveals other resources like surveillance towers, vehicles and an agent force that has more than doubled in the last ten years to more than 3400 for just over 250 miles along the Arizona border. Agents say they're fighting a new enemy.

DAVID JIMENEZ, U.S. BORDER PATROL: The smuggling organization has changed. It's not your mom and pop shop anymore. Now everything is organized crime.

ROMO: One of the things that you notice when you come near the fence here at the border is that you find rocks everywhere. Agents say that they are victims of attacks every day and some rocks like this one can cause some real harm.

SUVs show the signs of damage and agents riding bicycles are especially at risk.

ARIEL MIDELES, U.S. BORDER PATROL: You can see, you know, those medium- sized rocks to brick-sized rocks. They're pretty big. They're not your average sized rocks.

ROMO: Many times rock throwing is a diversion.

Agents recently confiscated 1100 rounds of ammunition going south into Mexico presumably to be used by a drug cartel. This man-hole had to be welded shut, because it was being used to smuggle marijuana.

MICHAEL DAMRON, U.S. BORDER PATROL: For a long time you couldn't see them with the camera, because we're a low ravine here. So it took a long time to figure out what they were doing.

ROMO: As night falls again in Nogales, there's a new arrest. She's an 18- year-old girl from the Mexican state of Veracruz. For her, it's the end of a 1200 mile trip in search of a dream. For the agents, one of more than 300 arrests that they will make before the night is over.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Nogales, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now tomorrow on NEWS STREAM, it is meant to move water, but instead it moves drugs. Traffickers are repurposing this flood tunnel under the U.S.-Mexico border. Now Rafael Romo has the story. Again, join us tomorrow for that report right here on NEWS STREAM.

Now it was supposed to be a grand opening to the season, but this track won't be hosting the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel this year. We'll tell you why.

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STOUT: Now we're going to take a closer look at the affect the unrest in Bahrain is having on the world of sports -- Formula One to be specific. Now yesterday, the opening race of the F-1 season was canceled. And with more, Don Riddell is in London -- Don.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kristie. Yes, the 2011 Formula One season will now start in Melbourne, Australia at the end of March after Bahrain was pulled out of what would have been the season opener on March 13th. The prestigious race had been under threat following the political upheaval and violent government crackdown in the Gulf nation. And it was scrubbed on Monday afternoon when Bahrain itself withdrew to focus on domestic affairs. It is not too late to reschedule a race at another venue for that same weekend and there is no word yet on whether the Bahrain Grand Prix could be run later in this season.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ZAYED ALZAYANI, CHAIRMAN, BAHRAIN CIRCUIT: It all depends on how the events in Bahrain going on at present turn out to be. And we're optimistic that there will be a process of reconciliation launched soon and all parties will come to the table in response to his royal highness' efforts and thing will come back to normality.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Bahrain has been staging Grand Prix races since 2004 and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in track and in payments to Formula One. The island kingdom uses F-1 to promote itself internationally and won't have taken the decision to postpone lightly. But if they didn't pull out, then F-1 would have been in a very difficult position, a decision to go ahead with the race would have been morally questionable and pro- democracy activists could well have hijacked the race in an attempt to capture global publicity.

For now, F-1 is preparing for a 19 race season. But there are many questions still to be answered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED FOSTER, MOTORSPORT MAGAZINE: There are a few grains in the palette when this 20 race season was announced. It was an extremely busy season. And it's not just the extra cost of shipping things all over the world, but also just the -- just how tired the whole teams get. If you go and watch Formula One just before the summer break, you see a lot of the tactical people and staff are just absolutely knackers. You know, it's really, really busy.

So, I don't think they'll be very upset. But of course, they love to race. So I'm sure there will be part of them that wanted to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Kristie, Formula One insiders think that Bernie Eccelstone will try to reschedule this race for later on in the season, but every slot that might be available simply raises a whole load of new issues. Back to you.

STOUT: All right. Thank you very much indeed for that.

Now let's return to our top story, the devastation in Christchurch, New Zealand. And we want to leave you with these images of survivors comforting each other and rushing to rescue people trapped under piles of concrete. Now they have been shocked and stunned by this powerful quake. And it was the second big earthquake to hit their city in just a matter of months. At least 65 people are dead. More bodies are feared buried beneath the rubble. Now survivors, they are spending the night without power, without water. And with every aftershock, they are sent scrambling in fear all over again.

We will continue to follow the aftermath of the quake in New Zealand on the hours ahead. And that is NEWS STREAM. "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" is next.

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