Hopes are fading of finding more survivors in the collapsed towers of New Zealand's quake-shattered Christchurch, as officials said the death toll had risen to 98 with grave fears for more than 200 missing.
Police said up to 120 bodies may still lie trapped in the tangled concrete and steel that was the Canterbury Television or CTV building, where dozens of students from Japan, Thailand, China and other Asian countries were believed buried when an English-language school collapsed along with other offices.
The official death toll from Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude quake now stood at 98, police supt Dave Cliff said.
An additional 226 people were listed as missing, and prime minister John Key said there were "grave fears" that many of them did not survive.
"We are very fearful tonight that the death toll could be much greater than any of us have ever feared," Mr Key said, adding that there were dozens of "international people that are caught up in this tremendous tragedy".
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