Wellington : An unspecified number of people were reportedly killed after a massive earthquake hit New Zealand?s South island city of Christchurch on Tuesday, reports said.
The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the city around 12:51 local time causing widespread damage and destruction.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located 10 km south-east of Christchurch at a depth of 5km, media reports said.
New Zealand Herald reported that the residents of the city saw bodies scattered all around the place.
Two buses are reported to have been crushed by the buildings that toppled down due to the tremor.
Early on September last year, New Zealand had witnessed another massive earthquake which had a magnitude of around 7.0 and caused widespread damage.