At least two dead in New Zealand earthquake: PM
At least two people were killed and more fatalities were feared after a powerful 7.8 earthquake struck New Zealand just after midnight Monday, Prime Minister John Key said.
Nearly seven hours after the first quake struck, the prime minister confirmed two fatalities, saying "we cannot rule out" that number will rise.
"At this point we are unable to give precise details of what caused those fatalities," Key said, adding that communication problems made it difficult to get information from the affected areas of the South Island.