Japan: 11 students missing after earthquake

TOKYO, Japan (AP):

At least one Japanese exchange student was trapped and another 11 still missing in the powerful New Zealand earthquake after it sent their language school tumbling down around them as they ate lunch, school and government officials said.

A group of 23 students and teachers from Toyama College of Foreign Languages was eating when the quake struck yesterday, severely damaging the school where they were studying in Christchurch.

One of the teachers, using her mobile phone, had earlier emailed her family in Japan saying she was trapped in the building with some of the students, according to the head of the school.

The two teachers and nine of the students were rescued from the twisted building, while one other student was still stuck inside up to yesterday evening. Some of the rescued had broken bones and serious injuries, and the remaining 11 students were still unaccounted for.

Most of the students were 19 years old, but two were in their '60s, including one who was rescued and badly injured, according to a release from Toyama city, on Japan's western coast. Japanese media reported that the other teacher is a New Zealand native who taught at the school, and The Daily Yomiuri newspaper identified him as David Horsley on its English Twitter page.