2011 Christchurch Earthquake

A shallow earthquake struck directly beneath New Zealand's second-largest city during the busy lunchtime period, causing catastrophic damage to the central business district and historic stone buildings. The collapse of the CTV Building alone killed 115 people, many of whom were international students at a language school. Technically an aftershock of the less damaging September 2010 Canterbury earthquake, the event led to a decade-long rebuild that fundamentally transformed Christchurch's urban landscape.