Latest tremors could spell end for two New Zealand cathedrals.
The 130-year-old Anglican cathedral’s huge stained glass Rose Window shattered in a 6.0-tremor that struck Monday, compounding damage from a 6.3-magnitude quake in February that killed 181 people and toppled its spire.
Bishop Victoria Williams said the cathedral, a symbol of the South Island city, was structurally compromised when its western wall toppled Monday and the entire building may need to be demolished.
“We know some of it will have to come down because of the damage, but whether we have to take the whole thing down is still a live question,” she told the Christchurch Press.
The cathedral lies in the city centre “red zone”, the worst-hit area during the quakes in February and this week, which remains off-limits to the public because the risk of falling masonry makes it too dangerous to enter.
The area has been rattled by three major earthquakes in nine months and there have been calls after the latest scare to move the whole downtown area to more stable land to the west of the existing central business district.
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