New Zealand quake toll 71, voice heard in rubble

CHRISTCHURCH, Feb 24 (Reuters) - International rescuers intensified their search for earthquake survivors in New Zealand on Thursday, spurred on by reports of a faint female voice heard beneath a collapsed church, even as the official death toll of 71 looked certain to climb.

Specialist teams from quake-prone countries including Japan and the United States used sniffer dogs and listening devices in increasingly desperate efforts to find more survivors, two days after a strong tremor struck the tourist city of Christchurch.