Police have today confirmed the identities of a further four people who died in the Christchurch earthquake, all of whom were in the CTV building - including the managing director of King's Education, which lost many staff and students in the building's collapse.
The four named today are:
Noriko Otsubo, 41, of Japan
Brian Warrington Taylor, 66, of Christchurch
Ayako Yamaguchi, 30, of Japan
Both Noriko Otsubo and Ayako Yamaguchi were students at King's Education English language school on the third floor of the CTV building.
Ms Otsubo was a nurse from the city of Kobe, which suffered a devastating quake in 1995 that killed more than 6,000 people.
She became a nurse after witnessing impoverished children dying from inadequate medical care during her three years in Africa as a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer, the Mainichi Daily News reported.
After the quake, her father was quoted as telling the Yomiuri Shimbun daily: "If she is buried in the collapsed building, I wish I could remove the rubble, even a piece or two, to help her out.
"She has such a strong spirit and works so hard for everything. I believe she will survive."
Brian Taylor was King's Education's managing director.
Mr Taylor was a well-respected athlete and a trained runner and spent 22 years teaching science at Lincoln High School, a family friend said.
He was also a lecturer at the Christchurch College of Education and was the director of the NZ Science Centre for 15 years.
Heather Meadows was a grandmother of seven who was in the CTV building for a doctor's appointment when the earthquake hit.
"She was very proud of her English roots but loved New Zealand, and has been here since she was 11 years old," her sister Debbie Cowell said.
- NZ Herald staff, AFP
Heather Meadows, left, and Brian Taylor. Photos / Supplied
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