Queensland rescuers remember horrors and heartbreak of Christchurch earthquake on 10-year anniversary of tragedy

It has been a decade since New Zealand was rocked by the deadly Christchurch earthquake — a disaster that scarred the city and left an indelible impact on the Australian first responders who risked their lives to help.

The magnitude-6.3 quake killed 185 people and injured thousands of others on February 22, 2011.

About 100,000 homes were damaged and the Insurance Council of New Zealand said the insurance bill exceeded $31 billion.

The disaster sparked a mammoth international recovery effort.

A 69-person urban search and rescue team from Queensland was among those first deployed to the epicentre of the crisis.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) Acting Inspector Ric Chambers said…