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Pretoria - There is still no information available on how many South Africans were affected by the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, the international relations and co-operation department said on Wednesday.
"We still haven't been able to establish as to whether South Africans have been injured [or killed]," department spokesperson Clayson Monyela said.
"We continue to be in touch with authorities on the ground," he said.
Monyela said he was aware that people were being evacuated from Christchurch to Wellington.
The embassy there would offer assistance should any South African need it, he said.
Contact number
"People are calling and making use of the number we provided... we are able to assist them."
Family members in South Africa could get in touch with the department's consular section on 012 3511000 if they need information on the situation.
In the meantime, Monyela appealed that the department be given time and space to retrieve the exact numbers.
Earlier in the day, Dr Tienie Bekker, a clergyman at the Afrikaans Christian Church in Yaldhurst, an area not far from Christchurch International Airport, said three of his congregants' houses were destroyed in the quake.
"We were lucky that we could buy food as we were on the outskirts. Many have had to be helped. Drinking water is minimal in quite a few areas. A lot of people are without power," the 53-year-old Bekker told Sapa.
"They have cordoned off the central business district and they are urging us to stay at home and travel as little as possible, because we are blocking routes for emergency services."
Hundreds of emergency workers struggled on Wednesday to find survivors in the piles of rubble left after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake ripped through the city on Monday.
'Tumbledryer on a rollercoaster'
Bekker said he was dazed when the tremor started shaking objects around him at 13:00 local time.
"I was just out on my way to an appointment after midday, had just finished lunch, when I felt this wave," he said.
"My house started moving up and down. My wife compared the experience to a tumbledryer on a rollercoaster. It was horrific with things falling and cracking. I was terrified.
"I lost my arm in a war [in Angola in 1984], but this terrified me more. The sound it makes. Afterwards, you get an eerie silence."
The quake left at least 75 people dead and over 300 people missing.
- Are you there or do you have family there? Tell us your stories, send us your pictures
- Use Google Person Finder to find people you know in Christchurch, New Zealand
"We still haven't been able to establish as to whether South Africans have been injured [or killed]," department spokesperson Clayson Monyela said.
"We continue to be in touch with authorities on the ground," he said.
Monyela said he was aware that people were being evacuated from Christchurch to Wellington.
The embassy there would offer assistance should any South African need it, he said.
Contact number
"People are calling and making use of the number we provided... we are able to assist them."
Family members in South Africa could get in touch with the department's consular section on 012 3511000 if they need information on the situation.
In the meantime, Monyela appealed that the department be given time and space to retrieve the exact numbers.
Earlier in the day, Dr Tienie Bekker, a clergyman at the Afrikaans Christian Church in Yaldhurst, an area not far from Christchurch International Airport, said three of his congregants' houses were destroyed in the quake.
"We were lucky that we could buy food as we were on the outskirts. Many have had to be helped. Drinking water is minimal in quite a few areas. A lot of people are without power," the 53-year-old Bekker told Sapa.
"They have cordoned off the central business district and they are urging us to stay at home and travel as little as possible, because we are blocking routes for emergency services."
Hundreds of emergency workers struggled on Wednesday to find survivors in the piles of rubble left after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake ripped through the city on Monday.
'Tumbledryer on a rollercoaster'
Bekker said he was dazed when the tremor started shaking objects around him at 13:00 local time.
"I was just out on my way to an appointment after midday, had just finished lunch, when I felt this wave," he said.
"My house started moving up and down. My wife compared the experience to a tumbledryer on a rollercoaster. It was horrific with things falling and cracking. I was terrified.
"I lost my arm in a war [in Angola in 1984], but this terrified me more. The sound it makes. Afterwards, you get an eerie silence."
The quake left at least 75 people dead and over 300 people missing.
- Are you there or do you have family there? Tell us your stories, send us your pictures
- Use Google Person Finder to find people you know in Christchurch, New Zealand
