New Zealand buries first quake victim

New Zealand's earthquake-shattered city of Christchurch on Monday buried the first victim of a devastating tremor that killed at least 148 people as aftershocks forced the evacuation of scores of people in hillside suburbs.

Five-month-old Baxtor Gowland was laid to rest – the youngest known victim of the 6.3 magnitude quake that hit the city of Christchurch last Tuesday.

Only eight bodies of the nearly 150 victims have been released because of the need to accurately identify the dead.

Also on Monday, Prime Minister John Key announced the first package of financial measures aimed to help the stricken city get back on its feet.

Prime Minister Key has said the overall cost of the Feb. 22 and last year’s Sept. 4 quakes combined would be about $15 billion, with the second, more destructive earthquake costing about three-quarters of the total.

Listen to report by Kelsea Brennan-Wessels: