A woman who held her brother's hand as he died in the rubble of the collapsed Iconic Bar on February 22 had been worried the building would "implode" in another earthquake.
Amy Cooney gave evidence today at the hearing into the collapse of The Iconic Bar on Manchester St, which killed her brother Jaime Gilbert.
The siblings were both working at the bar on February 22. Mr Gilbert, 22, a barman and father of two, had only begun working full time at the bar the day before. The pair tried to flee the bar as the violent quake struck but were trapped by falling debris outside the building.
Ms Cooney was knocked out, but when she came to she was holding her brother's hand as they lay trapped. Rescuers eventually managed to drag the pair out of the rubble and Mr Gilbert was rushed to Christchurch Hospital but could not be revived and was soon pronounced dead.
Ms Cooney had been deeply concerned about the safety of the building following the 2010 earthquakes - particularly in the upstairs corner where her office had been situated.