FLYING TIMES

The Prime Minister of New Zealand says at least 65 people have died after an earthquake of 6.3-magnitude hit Christchurch. John Key said that they were expecting the toll to rise further, adding: “We may be witnessing New Zealand’s darkest day.” The tremor caused widespread damage as it occurred at a shallow depth of 5km (3.1 miles) during lunchtime, a time at which Christchurch is at its busiest. The mayor of New Zealand’s second-biggest city says 120 people have been rescued from the ruins with work on going to rescue more. The country’s deadliest natural disaster in 80 years struck at 12:51 (23:51 GMT on Monday). The quake originated 10km (6.2 miles) south-east of the city.

Screams

The damage is said to be far worse than after the bigger 7.1-magnitude quake on 4 September last year, which left two people seriously injured but had no fatalities. The epicentre of that quake, which occurred in the middle of the night, was further away from the city and deeper underground. That being said it still caused an estimated $3bn (£1.9bn) worth of damage.

TV pictures of the aftermath of Tuesday’s disaster showed scores of collapsed buildings in the South Island city, which has a population of nearly 400,000 people. Shocked survivors could be seen wandering the rubble-strewn streets, which had been cracked open as the ground beneath was liquefied by the tremor. Police said that the dead included people on two buses which had been crushed by falling buildings. Helicopters plucked survivors to safety from rooftops, and dumped water on fires.
Trapped under her desk inside the Pyne Gould Guinness building, Anne Voss told Australia’s Channel Seven by mobile phone: “I am hoping they will get me out soon because I have been here so long. And it’s dark. And it’s horrible.” When she was asked if she was injured, “I know I am bleeding and I can feel the ground is quite wet. I think it’s blood.”

Anything to Help

Bystanders have been using bare hands to try and free any survivors trapped under the debris. Many injured people have been carried out on blood-soaked stretchers or in the arms of their shocked workmates and strangers. Some people have escaped on ropes lowered down from the office towers. Others have managed to crawl out from under the rubble. [...]

A Scottish travel firm is looking for some “new talent” to act as guides on trips across Scotland and Ireland. It is described as the “best job in the world”, Rabbie’s Trail Burners said they were looking to recruit up to 40 new “personalities” to lead the tours. The recruits will be given history and driving training but are expected to have a “natural passion for life”. The company, which currently offers trips of between one and 16 days, attracted more than 35,000 visitors last year. Rabbie’s said that there were currently 12 positions available, operating from Edinburgh and Glasgow, with plans in place to hire 40 more new recruits over the next three years.

The company’s founder, Robin Worsnop, said his travel guides came from all walks of life and ranged in age from 24 to 62. He said: “The personalities of our driver-guides are one of the most important and memorable components of the Rabbie’s visitor experience. We aim to provide new and authentic experiences that take visitors off the beaten track to discover the real country and its people.” He added: “Our training will take care of history, local knowledge and the PCV licence, but it is the natural passion, enthusiasm and appetite for life, that’s at the top of our job description.”

The firm said it was taking on staff to meet the growing demand. It plans to increase the number of routes, this would include a new service in Ireland, as well as a whisky tour on Speyside from April of this year, with longer-term plans to do more in England.

Robin Worsnop set up the business in 1993 with a £6,000 loan from his brother to buy a mini-coach after graduating with an MA in history from the University of Edinburgh. In 2009 the firm had a turnover of £2.5m.

So if you want the chance to do “the best job in the world” then check out Rabbies.com

The Office of Fair Trading is set to investigate a planned move by Thomas Cook and the Co-operative Group to merge their High Street travel businesses into one. The European Commission had initially looked at the deal, which was announced in October, which would create the largest travel store network in the UK. But it has since handed the review to the OFT. This is because it will only affect UK businesses. Thomas Cook said it would “continue to work closely with the OFT to obtain a rapid clearance”. Under the proposed plans, both Thomas Cook and Co-operative Travel would retain their separate branding across their 1,200 stores. The firms hope the merger will create annual savings of more than £35 million across the two firms. At the time the proposed merger was announced, Thomas Cook admitted the deal could mean “hundreds” of job cuts as some stores would be closed. Thomas Cook’s online operation is not included in the merger with Co-operative Travel so would stay separate.