ED for serious casulaties only: hospital

Canterbury District Health Board is appealing for people to keep emergency departments for serious casualties after a major earthquake hit Christchurch early this afternoon, killing at least 65 people.

The magnitude 6.3 quake struck at 12.51pm and demolished a number of central city buildings, killing many people and trapping an unknown number.

CDHB chief executive David Meates said Christchurch Hospital was operational but, along with most other hospitals in the region had suffered damage.

A generator had been brought in to maintain power at the hospital's Riverside Block but if the power was not fully restored tonight some patients might need to be evacuated.

Large numbers of patients were being triaged through the hospital's emergency department many with serious injuries while those with non-life threatening injuries were being assessed and treated in Christchurch Women's Hospital and the outpatients department.

All other people with non-serious injuries should contact their own doctor or visit an after-hours medical centre, Mr Meates said.

Mr Meates said a lot of people were being treated for spinal injuries, broken bones and lacerations.

"We are also seeing a lot of chest pains and heart attacks are presenting as well,'' he told TV One.

"Our intensive care is chocka, and we have just transferred eight people - two children and six adults - out of Canterbury to other intensive care units around the country, mainly Auckland but also Waikato and Capital and Coast (Wellington).

The hospital was expecting a second wave of casualties to arrive tonight and again after the urban rescue teams have completed assessments.

The DHB had asked for more staff to help.

The intensive care unit and neonatal intensive care were very busy and additional ICU, NICU general medical, surgical and paediatric nurses had been requested from other DHBs.

Patients from the top two floors of Christchurch Hospital had been evacuated to lower floors and there was some water damage throughout the hospital.

The DHB said it was likely that some stable patients will be transferred out of Christchurch to hospitals in surrounding areas to free up beds for the seriously ill.

Elective surgery and outpatient appointments have been postponed and all surgery and outpatient appointments were cancelled for the next 48 hours.

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