* City evacuated amid fears of fires and more devastation
* Second huge shock follows initial quake
* Famous Christchurch Cathedral destroyed
Scores of people are feared dead after a major earthquake brought down buildings in the centre of Christchurch, New Zealand, during the busy lunchtime today.
Local residents, office workers and tourists from around the world are among the casualties who have either been killed or seriously injured as buildings crashed down.
As the first evidence came of bodies being removed from wrecked buildings, police confirmed that there had been 'multiple deaths' .
Devastation: Police said 'multiple fatalities' were expected and many people were trapped under the rubble after buildings and homes collapsed in Christchurch city center
Little hope: A bus was crushed by falling debris in the quake which measured 6.3 on the Richter Scale
Toppled: The four-storey Pyne Gould Corporation building lies in ruins after the earthquake. One local reporter said it felt like a bomb had gone off....And after: An aerial view shows the damage to the cathedral's spire following the quake. 'We just don't know if there are people under this rubble,' said a priest, standing outside
Even the iconic cathedral, in the city centre, was not spared as its steeple toppled down wrecking a large part of the church.
'It is huge. We just don't know if there are people under this rubble,' said a priest, standing outside the ruins of the Cathedral.
A Melbourne surgeon visiting the city said he had seen major destruction all around - made worse by a strong aftershock.
'I fear there are going to be fatalities everywhere including at the cathedral in the centre where the steeple has come down bringing a large part of the building with it.'
The city square, where the cathedral stands, is a popular place for office workers enjoying their lunch break.
Although the 6.3 earthquake was not as powerful as 7.1 quake that struck Christchurch last September, the damage was far more severe because it was much more shallow - occurring at a depth of five kilometres.
The earlier quake was at a depth of more than 30ft.
Dramatic video footage on a mobile phone showed just one scene when roofing crashed down from a shop, causing a woman to run for her life, the wreckage just missing her.
A number of hotels in the centre of Christchurch were extensively damaged and several hours later it was feared many people were lying trapped or dead inside the wreckage.
Buildings burned, broken water mains gushed and sirens wailed in scenes reminiscent of a war zone.
'Mate, this is chaos...it's incredible...I'm in the middle of town now...this time people have been killed,' said local reporter Chris Hutchings.
'The Hotel Grand Chancellor, a 24-level building completed in 1990 - one corner of it appears to have collapsed.'
Stunned people who escaped the 60-second earthquake without injury stared in shock at the wreckage around them.
Others who were injured lay on pavements covered in blankets and clothing as they waited for medical help.
A TV reporter, staring at the wreckage of one office building, said: 'It's as if a bomb has gone off in there.'
The muffled cries of the injured waiting for rescue came out through the rubble, but from other piles of bricks and stones there was only silence, giving fear that bodies lay there.
People with blood pouring down their faces walked in a daze around the wreckage of buildings where, a short time earlier, life had gone on as usual.
Two buses were crushed, giving fear that many people had been killed. In one tragic incident, witnesses told how a backpacker - whose identity and nationality was not known - was believed to have been crushed to death when a building tumbled onto his campervan.
'It was crushed flat. There is no way he could have survived that,' said a witness.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard told parliament in Canberra that the New Zealand authorities had reported multiple fatalities 'but at this stage we don't know what that means.'
But in New Zealand grim-faced officials said they were preparing for the very worst.
Fears that many tourists have been killed, along with local residents, were heightened by the discovery of a number of bodies in a wrecked youth hostel.
Witnesses said bodies were seen being brought out of the Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand backpackers' building.
Troops began going from door to door - those that were still standing - checking if anyone needed assistance.
The terrifying scenes were enhanced by the faces of desperate people who have put up signs in smashed windows saying: 'HELP'.
Concerned that further buildings would collapse, police and emergency workers cleared the city centre and warned everyone not to approach.
All air space over New Zealand was closed to commercial airlines so that airports could be left free for emergency aircraft and military vehicles.
A passenger on board an Air New Zealand flight that landed as the earthquake was striking told how the terminal was rocking.
Another passenger, Robbyn Storey, told how she watched from the air as the tarmac and vehicles were being rolled around.
Calls went out for blood donations as nurses and doctors who were on leave rushed in to emergency centres and hospitals on the outskirts of Christchurch and in nearby towns.
Hospitals throughout the South Island were cleared of patients so that people with critical injuries could be treated.
Emergency medical centres have been set up on the outskirts to treat the large number of people expected to have suffered serious injuries.
Despite plans to evacuate the main hospital, staff said it was being kept open to treat the badly injured.
Police were also preparing to set up temporary mortuaries. Civil Defence declared the earthquake as a level three emergency - the highest rating.
A Christchurch resident, Peter Jackson, said: 'It's impossible to think that no-one has been killed or injured.
'We've had smaller earthquakes and aftershocks in recent months, but this is a big one. We're all very frightened.'
Worried that their building was on the point of collapsing, police also evacuated the central police station.
Emergency sirens rang out through the city following the 6.3 earthquake, which is actually smaller than the 7.1 quake to hit the city last September - but this one has caused more damage to the centre of the city.
The earthquake was centred at Lyttelton, near the city, at a relatively shallow depth of 5km.
Last year's earthquake brought down a few buildings and about 100 people were treated for injuries but there were no deaths.
This time, with many more buildings collapsing onto people at one of the busiest times of the day, police fear there will be many deaths.
The mayor, Bob Parker, said he had received reports of serious injuries, including a number of staff in the city council building.
Added to fears that many people have been injured or killed is the fact that the quake struck shortly before 12.50pm, when many people were wandering around the city centre during their lunch break.
Eyewitnesses described the scene, with cars smashed by tumbled buildings and homes destroyed as 'horrendous.'
Nicholas Hextall, who lives in central Christchurch, said: 'There has been a lot of damage. Our TVs have been smashed and there are big cracks in the house.'
At the height of the 30 to 60 second quake screams of people running from buildings echoed through the city centre.
A New Zealand Herald reporter based in the city said the quake lasted for about a minute and was 'extremely violent'.
TV reporter Kate King said: 'I saw the ground roll up in front of me.
'It lasted for about 20 to 30 seconds. There are waterfalls of water streaming up, being pushed out of the ground.
'It's fair to say I'm a bit scared. There are people hugging each other. It's quite traumatic. Quite a lot of these people have lost a lot financially and mentally.'
Mayor Parker said today's quake left people in the city council building injured, and he has heard reports of other serious injuries throughout the city.
Rescued people, with blood streaming down their faces, were led to private cars and ambulances to be taken to medical centres.
Emergency plans were being prepared to rescue people suspected of being trapped under the rubble.
The Fire Service confirmed that there have been 'many deaths' in the city centre.
'This looks like we are going to be looking for casualties, both fatal and those with serious injuries, for many days to come,' said a fire official.
Prime Minister John Key, who called an emergency cabinet meeting for later in the day, told parliament:'This is a very populated time with people at work and children at school.
'Sadly, I cannot rule out whether there have been fatalities or not. But we are aware of significant damage to buildings that had people in them at the time.'
Troops have also been called in to help evacuate the city. Power has been cut and phone lines are down.
A crying woman told a local TV station that 'everything crashed down around me' and she was worried about a solicitor who had been hit by rubble in an office she was in.
The city ran out of ambulances and four wheel drives were being used to carry the injured to emergency centres.
A young woman could be seen clinging to the remains of an office block. A man staggered from rubble with blood pouring down his face.
Another young woman, identified as Christie Clements, was seen being rescued from the roof of what is believed to be one of the city's major hotels, the Copthorne.
Firemen hoisted a ladder up to her and helped her down to the rubble-strewn street. Dazed people sat at the roadside nursing their injuries. A woman was being carried piggy-back from rubble by a man.
A man carried another woman in his arms through the smashed ruins of a building. Ambulance officers carried an injured person on a stretcher through the wreckage of the hotel.
People hugged one another and cried. Office furniture lay strewed on footpaths and many large buildings that had not already been brought down appeared on the point of collapse.
Injured people lay on pavements covered in clothes and blankets as they waited for medical treatment. Many were crying and moaning with pain.
Firefighters were desperately trying to reach people in a crushed insurance building but it was not known whether they were still alive.
As emergency workers moved through the rubble they asked people who might be trapped inside to call out to them.
'Shout out to us if you can hear us...are you in there?' emergency workers asked.
Added to the terror was a new aftershock which resulted in police and emergency workers hurrying from buildings that were already threatening to fall.
At least 20 people remained trapped on the top floor of a large office building.
Many former British people have emigrated to New Zealand and taken up residence in Christchurch, a picturesque city with a river running through the centre.
A resident told local TV that she had been talking by mobile phone to her sister who was trapped in a building. The woman said her sister was 'very distressed' but was coping.
An unidentified man with a British accent shot video of rocks crashing down onto a club.
The US Geological Survey said the quake was centred three miles from the city at a depth of 2.5 miles.
Christchurch has been hit by hundreds of aftershocks since a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck on September 4 last year, causing extensive damage and a handful of injuries, but no deaths.
Live video footage showed parts of buildings collapsed into the streets, which were strewn with bricks and shattered concrete.
Pavements and roads were cracked and split, and hundreds of dazed, screaming and crying residents wandered through the streets as sirens blared throughout the city.
Mr Parker said he was on the top floor of the city council building when the quake hit, throwing him across the room.
'I got down onto the street and there were scenes of great confusion, a lot of very upset people,' he said. 'I know of people in our building who are injured and I've had some reports of serious injuries throughout the city.'
Radio New Zealand reported that a church near the city centre collapsed.
The station also said staffers in its Christchurch newsroom had to cling to their desks during the shaking, with large filing cabinets toppling over.
Some cars apparently parked on the street were buried under rubble.
'What I can see from where I am in the central city is that there are significant amounts of additional damage,' Mr Parker said.
Christchurch is built on silt, sand and gravel, with a water table under it. In an earthquake, the water rises, mixing with sand.
Unlike last year's even stronger tremor, which struck early in the morning when streets were virtually empty, the streets, shops and offices in the city of almost 400,000 were thronged with people when the shallow tremor struck.
The city is home to about 350,000 people and is considered a tourist centre and gateway to the South Island.
New Zealand sits on the Pacific 'ring of fire' - an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching from Chile in South America through Alaska and down through the South Pacific.
It records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year - but only about 150 are felt by residents, and fewer than 10 a year do any damage.
The September 4 quake wrecked hundreds of buildings in the city, and caused an estimated four billion New Zealand dollars (three billion US dollars) in damage.
A strong aftershock in December caused further damage to buildings. The city was still rebuilding from those quakes when today's hit.
Carnage: Whole buildings were ripped in half by the force of the quake. The death toll is not yet known but authorities fear it will be high
Injuries: A woman covered in blood is rescued from inside the Pyne Gould Corporation building following the huge earthquake
Upset: A crying woman is piggy-backed out of the area. Many people were left crying in pain on the streets as rescue workers attempted to get them help
Survivors: Men carry a wounded man to safety after pulling him from the rubble. Rescue workers were asking buried survivors to shout out to them
Aftermath: A line of cars lie crushed by bricks and timber from falling buildings. Make-shift hospitals were being erected to deal with the injured while police were preparing temporary mortuaries
Lucky to be alive: Rescue workers pull a wounded man out from the rubble but many more are thought to be trapped beneath collapsed buildings and crushed vehicles
Damage: New Zealand's second-biggest city Christchurch was rocked by devastation after the quake struck Lyttelton, which is thought to be the epicentre
Emergency: Medical centres have been set up on the outskirts to treat the large number of people expected to have suffered serious injuries
Rescue: An injured woman is lifted to safety by a police officer. Hundreds of people would have been on their lunch breaks outside when the quake struck shortly before 12.50pm
Disbelief: A wounded woman is helped by others as a new aftershock added to the terror sending police and emergency workers hurrying from buildings that were already threatening to fall
...And after: An aerial view shows the damage to the cathedral's spire following the quake. 'We just don't know if there are people under this rubble,' said a priest, standing outside
Toppled: The four-storey Pyne Gould Corporation building lies in ruins after the earthquake. One local reporter said it felt like a bomb had gone off
Epicentre: The US Geological Survey said the quake was centred three miles from the city at a depth of 2.5 miles.
Ruins: Buildings across the city collapsed as the full force of the quake shook them violently. Many more were left unstable
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