A north-east man has described the terrifying moment he was caught up in the massive earthquake which shook New Zealand.
At least two people have been confirmed dead following the quake – which had a magnitude of 7.8 and struck about 50 miles north of Christchurch on the country’s South Island.
Kenneth Slater, from Aberdeen, had gone to the city on a heartbreaking trip to repatriate the body of his younger brother John, who died earlier this month.
The 26-year-old former Kincorth Academy pupil had been on a working holiday visa for a year when he died.
Along with older brother, Chris, and two friends, Tristan Tulloch and Matthew Morrison, Kenneth had been in the city to arrange to have John’s body flown back to the UK.
And the earthquake hit while the four were out at a casino in the downtown area of the city.
Kenneth said: “We were just having a couple of drinks when all of a sudden the ground started to shake and the chandeliers were going crazy.
“There were people panicking, screaming and crying and rushing towards the fire exit.
“Then we were evacuated on to the street and all the other pubs and bars were too. Everything closed down and they advised people to go home.”
The quake struck in the early hours of Monday, local time, and was felt as far away as the capital Wellington, more than 130 miles from the epicentre.
It was followed by a number of strong aftershocks, and knocked out the country’s 111 emergency number.
Emergency services have also warned people living in coastal areas to move to higher ground after a tsunami wave hit.
New Zealand’s ministry of civil defence and emergency management reported that a massive wave struck around 1.50am.
There were no reports of injuries or major damage in Christchurch last night.
Meanwhile, a severe weather warning was issued, with a storm expected to batter some of the worst-affected areas of the country.
Mr Slater is due to fly home tomorrow.
He added: “It’s been quite quiet where we are before now but there seems to be a lot of cars travelling in the same direction now, to get more inland.
“We have got the news on the TV and are checking Twitter to stay updated but we know there’s a red alert for a tsunami.”
Mr Slater said memories of the 2011 earthquake – in which 185 people were killed and much of the downtown area destroyed – were still fresh in the minds of local people.
“There were people leaving the casino in tears, the whole city is pretty much like a building site,” he added.
“People were panicking and really worried about what had happened.”
John Slater is survived by brothers Kenneth and Chris, mother Angela McDonald and girlfriend Jenna Carney.
