New Zealand quake toll to climb as rescue hopes fade

CHRISTCHURCH (Reuters) - New Zealand and international rescuers held out slim hope of finding survivors three days after an earthquake struck the city of Christchurch, but with many still missing the death toll is expected to rise far above 100.

Teams from quake-prone countries such as Japan and the United States used sniffer dogs and lowered microphones into piles of rubble to probe for signs of life after a 6.3 magnitude quake struck the country's second-biggest city on Tuesday.