Rolleston man Paul Clarence Dunlop, 67, was part of a team of eight dismantling an organ at the Durham St Methodist Mission Church when the quake hit.

As many as 22 tourists are thought to be buried in the rubble of Christ Church Cathedral and its spire.

The people left in Bexley grabbed spades and started again, shovelling and scraping at the charcoal grey sludge which clung to their homes.

The body of Melissa Ann Neale was recovered from Cashel Mall, where she was eating lunch with her mother moments before the earthquake devastated Christchurch.

Five-month-old Baxtor Gowland was born two weeks after the first earthquake rocked Christchurch in September.

Twenty Chinese students at an English language school in Christchurch are missing following the massive tremor, Beijing says.

The families of the many missing Japanese students feared killed in the collapse of the CTV building have told of their anguish.

A desperate plea for rescue by six Filipino nurses trapped inside the CTV building have emerged following fears up to 120 people are still entombed in one of the focal points of Christchurch's deadly earthquake.

Hopes of finding survivors in the rubble of Christchurch are fading as the second day following the devastating quake draws to a close.

A 52-year-old man is in a stable condition after having both legs amputated by a visiting surgeon at the PGC building.

Smashing his way into his devastated home today, Christchurch man Ed Langston appeared somewhat resigned to having lost his house and business in Tuesday's deadly earthquake.

Police have delayed releasing the names of those confirmed dead and for whom there are serious concerns.

Credit rating companies say there is no immediate need to change the credit ratings of insurers because of the Christchurch earthquake but Moody's Investors Service said ratings pressure may develop over time on the banking sector.

Rescuers will do everything humanly possible to find any survivors of Tuesday's destructive Christchurch earthquake, say police.