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00:00It was a typical mid-week at Newcastle Workers' Club.
00:06Hundreds of mainly elderly people were inside playing games and the pokies when the quake struck.
00:11Measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale, in seconds it turned the two-storey building into a disaster zone.
00:18A local reporter was doing an interview nearby when the quake hit.
00:22The tremor brought the club's second and first floor crashing down onto the ground floor which partly collapsed into the basement.
00:34The room shook violently and the balcony started to collapse and I ran and as it collapsed it got me by the legs and the chest.
00:46At that point it stopped and I was lucky enough to have the strength to get myself out.
00:52When we entered the building there was a lot of people screaming and arms and legs kicking around.
01:00Rescue services were quickly on the scene working frantically to free those inside.
01:05Three people were confirmed dead while 16 were removed with various injuries.
01:10All emerged in severe shock, most were bleeding and covered in dirt and dust.
01:15At all times the rescue operation has been hampered because the facade of the club is in danger of collapsing.
01:21The rescue workers on top of a cherry picker can see the bodies in the club but they're not sure how to save them.
01:27A 300-tonne wall had also collapsed inside. It was in danger of caving in on rescuers and those still trapped.
01:34By late today rescuers using a remote control camera believed up to another 50 people were still inside the building, their condition unknown.
01:43Nearby the worst hit suburb was Hamilton, the main street reduced to a tangled web of wreckage and rubble.
01:49At least two people died here, hit by a falling awning. Dozens of others were injured.
01:55It was in chaos, everyone was just everywhere, you know.
01:59The local hotel had its facade sheared off while many cars parked in Beaumont Street were swamped in rubble.
02:05Clean-up crews were quickly on the scene looking for victims and clearing away the debris
02:10while police kept onlookers at bay for fear of further building collapses.
02:14Even the ambulance station didn't escape the quake.
02:17In Cooks Hill, 19th century terrace houses bore the brunt. For many residents it was a case of sheer disbelief.
02:24What happened at exactly the time?
02:25All the bricks just fell down on top of me, all down my back and the whole, just the whole thing collapsed. I was on the stairs.
02:31Did you know it was happening?
02:33No. I assumed it was an explosion.
02:37For others even inspecting the damage was treacherous.
02:40Salvaging what they could, many residents are tonight staying with relatives and friends as Newcastle comes to grips with the magnitude of the calamity.