A bus driver has recounted seeing his bus and another crushed by falling bricks and masonry in last February's devastating Christchurch earthquake.
Kenneth Edwards was driving on Colombo St when the earthquake struck, causing the heritage building at 605 to 613 Colombo St to collapse, killing eight people on a bus directly in front of Mr Edwards' bus.
They were driver Andrew Craig, 46, and passengers Jayden Andrews-Howland, 14, Philip Coppeard, 41, Joseph Routledge, 74, Lucy Routledge, 74, Jeff Sanft, 32, Beverly Stick, 71, and Earl Stick, 78.
Assisting counsel Mark Zarifeh read a statement from Mr Edwards to the Royal Commission today.
"When the earthquake hit, bricks and masonry fell from the buildings to the left, and crushed the left side of both my bus and the Red Bus, bringing them both to an immediate stop," he said.
Mr Edwards suffered bruising, while the sole passenger on his bus suffered a head injury.
Mr Edwards went to assist Mr Craig, who lay on the floor of his bus, trapped by bricks and rubble.
He helped free Mr Craig, who was taken away in a van, but later died.
Mr Edwards then helped free two other passengers, but only one survived.
Another witness, John Dallison, told the Royal Commission the neighbouring heritage building at 603 Colombo St was earmarked for demolition shortly before the earthquake.
The building's facade collapsed, killing Christchurch couple Joan Dorothy Weild, 76, and Graham Weild, 77, and 22-year-old Israeli backpackers Ofer Levy and Gabi Moshe Ingel.
Mr Dallison, representing the building's owner, was advised by Christchurch City Council staff that demolishing the building would require a peer-reviewed engineering report and notified resource consent - a process which would take several months, Fairfax NZ reports.
The Royal Commission is currently holding hearings into the collapse of buildings which resulted in a loss of life, aside from the Canterbury TV and Pyne Gould Corporation buildings.
NZN