THE DEATH TOLL from last week’s earthquake in Christchurch has risen to 147, according to officials.

An official from the Christchurch earthquake crisis team has told TheJournal.ie today that that rescue efforts are continuing at the Pyne Gould Guinness Building in the city where one Irishman is believed to be trapped.

The official added that there are at least 50 people still considered missing as well as the 147 now confirmed dead, including one Irishman.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said that they had received no word on the situation of the man who is trapped, who is believed to be originally from Co Kerry.

Some 70 people have been rescued from the rubble since the disaster struck last Tuesday – however, no survivors have been found since mid-afternoon on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

The city’s mayor Bob Parker remained hopeful however, saying: “I will not stop hoping that we will find people alive in the damaged structures of our city until I am told by police and the urban search and rescue teams that no such optimism can exist any longer.”

Additional reporting by Hugh O’Connell