CHRISTCHURCH: Fresh journalism graduate Rhys Brookbanks was in his first weeks of work when this week's devastating earthquake struck Christchurch on Tuesday, reports The New Zealand Herald.
Brookbanks, 25, is one of the scores of people believed to have been in the Canterbury Television building, which collapsed and caught fire.
Officials have said the collapse was not survivable.
Associate Professor Jim Tully, head of the Canterbury University journalism school, said the CTV reporter was "a really loveable, gentle young man" who had everyone's admiration and respect.
He had been living overseas with his fiancee, Esther Jones, before he shifted to Christchurch to study journalism at Canterbury University last year, Tully said.
"He was a poet and he had such a flair for writing. I'm absolutely gutted. I hate to see young people with enormous potential cut off well before they were even able to show the world what they are made of. I'm really struggling to come to terms with this."
The Herald reported that the confirmed death toll from the earthquake had reached 123 with police saying they expected the figure to rise further today.
An estimated 200 people are still missing, including people from 20 countries.
One media worker died in the Christchurch Press daily newspaper building and several other journalists and media people are believed to have perished in the CTV building. - The New Zealand Herald/Pacific Media Watch
Pacific Media Watch
