Bodies litter the streets of Christchurch but focus is on survivors

Some screamed from inside collapsed buildings. One woman used her mobile phone to call her children to say goodbye.

Others tapped on the rubble to communicate with rescuers searching for at least 300 people still missing after the New Zealand city of Christchurch was hit by the country's deadliest earthquake in 80 years, which had claimed 75 lives by last night.

"There are bodies littering the streets, they are trapped in cars, crushed under rubble and where they are clearly deceased our focus … has turned to the living," said Superintendent Russell Gibson. "We are getting texts and tapping sounds from some of these buildings and that's where our focus is.

"We've been pulling 20 or 30 people out of buildings right throughout the night."

As well as sites where it was known people were trapped, at least a dozen other collapsed commercial buildings were being searched for survivors.

The 6.3-magnitude quake struck just before 1pm local time yesterday. It toppled the spire of the city's Anglican cathedral, flattened tall buildings and rained chunks of concrete and bricks on to cars, buses and pedestrians.

Thousands of terrified workers ran screaming into streets split apart by the quake. "People were covered in rubble, covered in several tons of concrete," said witness Nathanael Boehm.

Last night New Zealand prime minister John Key announced a national state of emergency. "This country is right behind you," he told the people of Christchurch.