Residents have been evacuated and streets closed with demolition set to start on an exclusive Christchurch apartment complex.
The Terrace on the Park complex demolition will begin today after engineers found it has suffered major damage following the December aftershocks.
Two buildings of the six buildings to be demolished will be taken down this week, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) says.
Park Terrace and Salisbury St are closed to traffic and nearby residents evacuated.
There is a high danger one of the buildings will collapse once demolition begins, CERA says.
It is being demolished from the top down by machinery parked at a considerable distance.
Meanwhile, part of Merivale Mall in Christchurch has been closed since Saturday, after an engineering report found the area containing 18 shops is earthquake prone.
Tenants are expected to meet with management on Tuesday to discuss repairs and plans for temporary accommodation, the Press reported.
CERA has asked about 8000 Christchurch building owners to do a detailed engineering examination of their buildings and submit a report over the next two months.
NZN