'Hero' husband saved wife from quake
A man who saved his wife from the New Zealand earthquake has been hailed a hero.
Rosemary Irwin said her husband Tony pushed her into a shop doorway to escape the devastation near Christchurch Cathedral.
The couple, from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, were due to visit the cathedral for a tour on Tuesday.
Mrs Irwin said: “We were at the very top of the street when the most incredible quake happened, the ground both rolling and rising.
“My husband is a hero in this because it was his quick thinking that saved us both.”
Around 20 people are believed to have died after the spire collapsed at the cathedral. Police are still searching for more than 200 people in the city.
Mr Irwin told the BBC: “It was a choice between going out onto the street or getting under a doorway into a building that might collapse.
“There is really not very much time to think about it, but I could see the bricks coming down and I just grabbed Rosemary and rolled her into a shop doorway, and we just stayed there huddled in the corner until it was over.
“There were bricks raining down and the shaking was astonishing.
“When it all stopped, there was absolute silence. The noise must have been horrendous but I don’t remember hearing any of it.”
Meanwhile, tributes are being paid to Owen McKenna, 41, originally from Emyvale in County Monaghan, who died in the disaster.
He was married to a woman from New Zealand and had two children of primary-school age. He trained as a nurse in London but moved to New Zealand after meeting his wife.
His car was crushed under falling debris during the quake in Christchurch.
His mother and wider family circle still live in the Emyvale area.
Fabian Murphy, an old school friend from St McCartan’s College in Monaghan, last saw Mr McKenna when he returned home for a short visit in July 2009.
“He was as funny as ever. I have known him since we were four years old,” Mr Murphy said.
“He was one of the funniest people ever, even in 2009, the night’s craic we had was just like old times. We’ll really miss him.”
Rescue teams in Christchurch have been searching the rubble for survivors and the government has declared a national state of emergency.
