Basilica dome coming down

  • Workmen remove a bell from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch. Photo: The Press

    Workmen remove a bell from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch. Photo: The Press

Workmen remove a bell from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch. Photo: The Press

Deconstruction work has begun on the Roman Catholic basilica.

Work to bring down the main copper dome and north towers of Barbadoes St's Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is expected to be complete by late May.

The two structures are at risk of collapsing in another large aftershock.

The cathedral was badly damaged in February's quake, although the full extent of the devastation will not be known until the building is declared safe for assessors to enter.

This will happen once parts of the two front towers and the main dome have been dismantled.

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