EQC accepting damage claims until midnight

Photo / Mark Mitchell

Victims of the 7.1 earthquake which ripped through Canterbury on September 4 have had the deadline to lodge claims to have damage repaired extended until midnight tonight.

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) said it had received almost 160,000 claims for damage across Canterbury and urged any home-owners still intending to make claims to do so before the new cut off time.

The commission said that anyone failing to lodge a claim by the deadline would not be covered.

Originally the deadline for claims was midnight on Saturday, but because the deadline fell on a weekend, last minute legal advice was that legislation allowed for it to be extended until midnight tonight, said EQC chief executive Ian Simpson.

"However, there is no possibility of any further extensions after midnight tonight," he said.

The extension helped people who just missed getting their claims in on Saturday, he said.

The estimated cost of the Canterbury earthquake is expected to run into billions of dollars, making it the single biggest insurance event in New Zealand's history in terms of cost.

- NZPA