Japanese Students Rescued from Collapsed and Burning CTV Building

On Wednesday, March 2, 2011, this area in Christchurch was hit by high winds and a lot of fine dust. The wind gusts were around 70 kilometers per hour, which damaged buildings that were already crumbling. This made things even harder for the emergency services here.

The wind also brought an estimated 200,000 tonnes of silt and sand. That was all created when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck last week. At that time, the official death toll was 160, but police expected the final number to go over 240.

Among the rescue workers was a man named Paul Rodwell. He led a team of New Zealand Fire and Rescue officers who saved five Japanese students. These students were trapped in the Canterbury TV, or CTV, building right here in the center of town. This happened immediately after last week's earthquake. He became a hero to millions of Japanese people for that.