Christchurch jury trials postponed

Christchurch court buildings escaped yesterday's massive earthquake unscathed but those summoned for jury duty this week have been given a one-day reprieve.

Structural engineers today found the court complex was undamaged by the 7.1 magnitude quake which struck at 4.35am.

Ministry of Justice media advisor Steve Corbett said while the buildings had been cleared, tomorrow's jury trials would be postponed as many jurors were likely to be unavailable.

The ministry would make decisions on proceedings "day by day" so potential jurors should check the jury phone line regularly, he said.

It was not yet clear if other court cases would go ahead as a police cordon remained around the central city.

Mr Corbett said other South Island courts were not extensively damaged and would operate as usual tomorrow.

- NZPA