The final death toll from the New Zealand earthquake may reach 240, the police said.

According to the police Superintendent Dave Cliff, the official toll is 154, but it may rise when the bodies of missing are pulled from the rubble, Lenta.ru reports.

A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near Christchurch  on February 22 with the epicenter at the depth of 5 km. Many people were trapped in buildings waiting for rescuers to get them out. Many buildings collapsed, in the city. As a result of an earthquake 30 million-tone of ice broke off from the Tasman Glacier, New Zealand’s longest glacier situated 250 km far from the city of Christchurch.