Clearing the rubble

Clearing the rubble

Men search for bodies in Napier. They had nothing more than shovels to work with as no earth-moving equipment was immediately available. Kenneth Spiller, speaking in this sound clip, was part of a group who attempted to rescue a woman trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building after the main tremors struck. As the fires spread towards them, he noticed how flimsily some of the buildings had been constructed.

Sound file: Kenneth Spiller, interview by Helen McConnochie for ‘Reflecting on disaster: memories of the Napier earthquake’, 1997–98 (14’12”–14’45”)