Engineers say at least a third of the buildings in the centre of Christchurch will need to be demolished New Zealand has held a two-minute silence exactly a week after the devastating Christchurch earthquake.
The quake struck at 1251 local time (2351 GMT) at shallow depth, when the South Island city was at its busiest.
The death toll currently stands at 154, but officials say it could rise as high as 240 as dozens of people are missing.
Frequent aftershocks have been hampering rescue efforts. The cost of the 6.3-magnitude quake is expected to reach NZ$20bn ($15bn; £9.3bn).
On Monday afternoon, the whole country fell silent to mark the moment the deadly earthquake struck seven days ago.
Rescuers downed their tools for two minutes before resuming their work.
At a police briefing earlier in the day, Superintendent Dave Cliff said the death toll was likely to climb higher than the previous estimate of 200.
"We need to start considering the figure of around 240 but (it's) not locked in stone, because we're still getting information in," Mr Cliff said.
Prime Minister John Key has promised a major inquiry, saying there were legitimate questions about why so many buildings had collapsed.
He said there was still a glimmer of hope survivors could be found. However, rescuers have not pulled out anyone alive from the rubble since Wednesday.
The prime minister also announced an initial NZ$120m package of subsidies that will pay the salaries of people who cannot return to work because of the quake damage.
"A vibrant city provides jobs for its people and this is a broken city, one that needs to be repaired," Mr Key said.
Identification processFamilies and friends have begun burying their loved ones. The first funeral service was held on Monday for the youngest victim so far - baby Baxtor Gowland, born just after last September's quake.
He was one of two babies killed in the disaster.
Only eight of the dead have been officially named. Police have warned that some bodies might be beyond recognition.
Specialists from Britain are preparing to join the task of identifying the victims.
A multi-national team of more than 600 rescuers is continuing to search through the wreckage of collapsed buildings.
Engineers say at least a third of structures in the centre of Christchurch will need to be demolished. Hundreds of damaged suburban homes may also have to be pulled down.
The opening of new cracks in a cliff overlooking some outer suburbs and continuing aftershocks have kept residents nervous.
People are still trying to leave the city, says the BBC's Phil Mercer in Christchurch. Power has been restored to most of the city but water supply remains a problem, with residents being urged to boil water for drinking or cooking because of contamination fears.
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