Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard confirmed today that one Australian resident in Christchurch was killed in the quake and said there are fears for more Australians.

"There is a possibility in these circumstances that we will see Australians who have been caught up and have been hurt or potentially killed," she said.

An estimated 8000 Australians are believed to be in the vicinity hit by the 6.3 magnitude earthquake.

Ms Gillard said officials had confirmed the safety of 417 Australians in Christchurch, but said 1,511 Australians had been registered as being in the city.

Minister for foreign affairs Kevin Rudd told Ten News, “We have concerns about three Australians who are known to be in the CBD area of Christchurch at the time of the earthquake who we have not been able to establish contact with.

“Furthermore we also have concerns about reports of an Australian who has sought to establish telephone contact with media outlets and who says, according to those reports, that she is trapped in a building. That is a matter we are following with extreme intensity right now. Of course our concerns lie for the well-being of all Australians in the area.”

According to him, the immediate tasks of the government are in two categories.
“…the first is what we've just been talking about; search and rescue. And that's where we've really deployed forward as much kit and equipment and people as we can.”

“The second is our responsibility to Australians, to do what we can to ensure the safety and well-being of those Australians in the area.”