New Zealand Earthquake 2010

Photo: Layton Duncan A powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck 19 miles west of Christchurch, New Zealand, the largest city on South Island, early Saturday.  The inital shocks hit at about 4:35 a.m. local time, waking many residents and sending them scrambling for safety in the dark.  The initial jolt caused widespread damage and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. So far, there have been reports of injuries, including two serious ones, but no deaths.  Local authorities have closed off parts of Christchurch, citing dangerous conditions and looting. Many residents shared their stories and images from the area on Twitter, providing some of the first images of the disaster. For those residents left without power, Twitter became a lifeline, providing a way to contact friends and relatives and find out all the latest news.  Click ahead to see the images they shared.  By: Christina Cheddar-Berk, Florence Zaitoun and Matt CarbonePosted 3 September 2010

Photo by: Jonas Bergler Rubble from a damaged building in central Christchurch. There are reports that some roads are impassable. Local authorities have told residents to stay off roads.

Photo by: Kebabette A damaged bagel shop in Christchurch.

Photo by: Layton Duncan A theater on Kilmore Street in Christchurch, New Zealand. The timing of the earthquake may have saved lives as older commercial buildings appeared to have sustained more damage.

Photo by: Layton Duncan The corner of Manchester and Worchester in Christchurch. Residents said there was a Mexican restaurant on the second floor.

Photo by: Layton Duncan Portions of Christchurch and almost all of the rural Canterbury are without power, according to an Orion Energy spokesman.  New Zealand's Civil Defense agency said that area cell phone coverage is threatened because the cell phone towers are operating on battery power.

Photo by: Layton Duncan Rubble from buildings littered the streets in Christchurch. There were also reports of damage to the city's infrastructure, including burst sewage pipes. Some suburbs outside the city have sustained even more damage. In the seaside suburb of New Brighton, residents were told to prepare to evacuate because underground sewer and storm pipes were likely to cause flooding, the Press newspaper of Christchurch reported.

Photo by: Layton Duncan People walk along the streets in Christchurch. Authorities were trying to close off the center of the city to protect stores from looting. Local hospitals were said to be overwhelmed with injured people.

Photo by: Layton Duncan Rubble from a damaged building lies atop a car.

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