Workers in New Zealand are continuing to clean-up debris and restore power and water supplies after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the South Island city of Christchurch on Saturday morning.

Hundreds of Christchurch residents spent the night in shelters across the city. They faced a curfew from 7pm to 7am.

At least 500 buildings have been destroyed in the quake.

Many others sustained minor damage.

Amazingly, no one was killed.

Two people were injured as glass shattered and chimneys crumbled to the ground.

Local authorities and residents are now working together to clean-up debris and get their lives back to normal.

David Monds, Christchurch Resident, said, "It came out of the ground. The driveway further up had split open and it just came out. We thought it was sewage at the time."

Rescue workers have begun scouring through debris with sniffer dogs to search for any trapped residents.

New Zealand's Army troops have been put on standby to assist with relief efforts.

On Sunday, specialist engineering teams began assessing damage to all of the buildings in the city center.

Officials say schools across the region will remain closed for the next two days so checks can be carried out on whether the structures are safe.

Emergency Worker, said, "Today we'll work through all the buildings, find out what's safe and whether they're safe to go back into."

Power has been restored to 90 percent of Christchurch residents, water to 80 percent.

Portable toilets and tanks of fresh water have been placed around the city.

Officials warn continuing aftershocks could cause buildings to collapse.

Meanwhile, the clean-up operation could be hampered by winds up to 130 kilometers an hour forecast over the next few days.

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