SCOTIA -- None of the 26 members of the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing were hurt during Monday's devastating earthquake in the New Zealand city of Christchurch, wing Commander Col. Timothy LaBarge said today.
LaBarge said the wing members were at the airport or at two nearby hotels when the quake struck. The two locations are between six and eight miles from the city center, where the damage was concentrated. The unit's three LC-130 cargo aircraft at the airport were also undamaged, he said.
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake that rocked Christchurch killed dozens, collapsed buildings and cracked sidewalks and water mains. News reports described bodies in the streets, and many people trapped in collapsed buildings and other rubble. The death toll was at 65 and expected to rise.
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