In New Zealand, almost two-thirds of the 160,000 homes in and around Christchurch have been damaged by Saturday's earthquake. Prime minister, John Key said many houses had been damaged beyond repair, and that it might take some time to discover the damage to the region's underground infrastructure. Mr Key, who visited earthquake-stricken parts of the country's South Island over the weekend, said 430 houses and another 70 buildings had already been earmarked for demolition by assessment teams. Meanwhile, a state of emergency in Christchurch has been extended until Wednesday, and the city centre remains cordoned off. Experts have warned a major aftershock could rock the area in the near future. More than 80 aftershocks have been recorded since Saturday's 7.0-magnitude tremor, the strongest of which jolted today had a magnitude of 5.2.