Nine members of staff and 52 students remain unaccounted for in a language school which collapsed during the Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand.

English UK has sent messages of support and condolence to the King's Education language school and English New Zealand. King's was based on the third floor of the collapsed Canterbury Television building.

Students from Japan, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Korea and the Czech Republic are amongst those missing. Some had started at the school only the day before.

The New Zealand government has promised a thorough investigation into why some buildings, such as the Canterbury Television tower, were so badly damaged by the earthquake.