The official death toll has risen to 146 in Christchurch, New Zealand in the wake of the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that devastated the South Island city on Tuesday.
Rescuers pulled the latest corpse from ruins in the central business district, according to the Australian Associate Press (AAP). There are still grave fears for more than 200 people thought to have been in the city center when the quake struck. The last person rescued alive from there was on Wednesday.
Police have only managed to identify another half a dozen bodies on Sunday, with victims from more than 20 countries, AAP reported.
"Many of these people have been very badly hurt," said Canterbury District Commander, Superintendent Dave Cliff in a police statement. "The opportunity to visually identify them is very limited, so we are relying on other means of identification such as DNA testing, fingerprints and dental records."
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More than 160 staff are working to identify the bodies with another expert team due in from Thailand today. Most of the deaths occurred at the CTV and Pyne Gould buildings, as well as the Cathedral, where around 30 tourists are believed to have perished.
The city center is cordoned off and around two-thirds of approximately 1,000 buildings checked have been deemed safe.
Stabilization work is beginning on the precariously tilting Hotel Grand Chancellor, which will enable search and rescue crews to enter the area, according to the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).
Prime Minister John Key has asked all New Zealanders to honor victims by observing two minutes' silence from 12.51pm on Tuesday, exactly one week after the quake.
"I am calling on all New Zealanders to stop and remember those who have lost their lives, those who are missing, and the hundreds of people who are mourning family and friends," Key said, according to the NZPA.
"Canterbury will recover and we will do all we can to ensure it does. For now, we must do all we can to show its people that all of New Zealand grieves with them,” he said.
