‘No bodies’ found in New Zealand quake cathedral

The dean of the city, Peter Beck said he was told by the head of the Urban Search and Rescue task force there were no bodies inside.

“I was expecting to get a call from him saying they had found a body and I and my colleagues were going to go down and say prayers at the side of the body,” Beck said. “But of course I got this other news and I just burst into tears. I was speechless, it was unbelievable.”

The confirmed death toll to date stood at 165. Police had previously said they expected it to rise to more than 240, although this figure may now be reduced.

Baxter told a media conference it had been a "surreal feeling" when they completed the search of the cathedral without finding any bodies.

Meanwhile, plans are under way to reduce the area of the city cordoned off for the past 10 days to allow access for inner-city residents and business owners.

Across the wider city about 14,000 homes are still without electricity and power company executives said it was unlikely they could complete the restoration until early next week.