BLOCKED RIVER THREATENS TO ENGULF TOWN
earthquake s terrible toll
Total Death Roll Unknown homesteads overwhelmed r! devastation and loss of life as a result of the earthquake have assumed the dimensions of a national calamity. The death-roll now totals 13 and it is feared that the worst is not yet known. Three homesteads have been overwhelmed by great landslides, the victims being buried under the mass of debris. The Matakitaki, a turbulent and at times menacing tributary of the Buller River, is blocked by great masses of land which have slipped from the surrounding hills. Unless the river finds an early outlet the water will bank up nntil it bursts a way through, and there is a grave danger that the town of Murchison, which lies in its path, may be overwhelmed. Several centres report that tremors continued yesterday and today. In some places people are afraid to sleep in their houses and have spent the night in tents and cars. Refugees from the stricken districts are arriving in Nelson and are being provided with food and shelter. The Buller River has broken the dams, caused by slips, which threatened to become a menace to the country between Fern Flat and Westport.
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Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 693, 19 June 1929, Page 1
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203BLOCKED RIVER THREATENS TO ENGULF TOWN Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 693, 19 June 1929, Page 1
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