Quake inquest unearths grief

The final inquest for the Christchurch earthquake victims begins this morning. Photo / NZ Herald

A grieving woman has told an inquest how she cannot shake the images of her sister dying in the February earthquake.

In a statement read today at the inquest into deaths of workers in the Canterbury Television (CTV) building, Joanne Macgregor praised her late sister Gillian Sayers as "an intelligent woman and a person of enormous integrity''.

The death of Ms Sayers, 43, an English language teacher at King's Education, is being considered today along with others in the CTV building collapse on February 22 by coroner Gordon Matenga.

"I understand my sister suffered burning to her body before her death and that the cause of the death was crush injuries,'' Dr Macgregor said in her statement, read at the inquest by Ms Sayers' partner Matthew Boyce.

"I was also told that some people in the King's language school escaped the building. I am a doctor and my mind is full of pictures of what happened to my sister in that building on that day. At this stage I don't feel the pictures will ever go away.''

The inquest into the death of Ms Sayers will resume after a Royal Commission of Inquiry into building failures in the earthquake, to further consider issues of concern raised by her family about her death.

Death details

Earlier today, more details of the deaths of people in the February earthquake were been revealed at the inquest.

The inquest has so far heard from Detective Inspector Paul Kench about the deaths of employees of CTV.

The cause of the building collapses that led to the deaths will be separately investigated by a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

*CTV employee Siwen Huo, 29, was found in the wreckage of the CTV building five days after the quake. She was seen in the building by colleague at 12.20pm that day. The cause of her death was found to be rib fractures and crush injuries to the head. She was identified by fingerprints and comparisons of her property.

*CTV sales consultant Susan Patricia Chuter, 52, was found in the collapsed building four days after the quake. Colleague Malcolm Harris saw her at desk about 12.40pm. Her cause of death was recorded as chest compression with probable crush asphyxia.

*CTV technical manager Andrew James Llewellyn Bishop, 33, was seen in the building by a colleague at 11.30am on the day of the earthquake. His body was found in the collapsed building six days after the quake. His cause of death was recorded as massive crush injuries to his torso and limbs and severe fire damage.

*CTV journalist Rhys Frank Brookbanks, 26, was found in the collapsed building on March 4. He was last seen by a colleague in the building at 12.45pm on the day of the quake. The cause of his death was recorded as crush injuries to the chest.

*CTV producer Joanna Claire Didham, 36, was found in the collapsed building two days after the quake. She was seen by a colleague in the CTV offices at 9.30am, by the photocopier, on the day of the quake. The cause of her death was recorded as multiple crush injuries.

*CTV news producer Samuel Reece Gibb, 27, was seen sitting at his desk about in the CTV news area shortly before the quake hit. His body was found by police on March 4. The cause of his death was recorded as massive crush injuries.