A Co Tyrone woman who escaped unhurt from the New Zealand earthquake has described how her “hero” husband saved her life.

Tony Irwin frantically pushed his wife Rosemary into a shop doorway to escape the debris which came crashing down around them in the aftermath of Tuesday’s quake.

Last night, as the death toll reached 113, fears were growing for almost 230 people believed to be trapped in the wreckage.

One of two Irish men reported missing after the quake is believed to be trapped in the rubble of the PGG building, as rescue teams frantically search for survivors. A second Irish man is among the 225 people still unaccounted for.

Yet, as the death toll rises, remarkable stories of survival and escape are continuing to emerge — including that of the Irwins.

The Dungannon couple were about to visit Christchurch Cathedral when the 6.3-magnitude tremor rocked the city at rush hour.

“My husband is a hero because it was his quick thinking that saved us both,” said Mrs Irwin.

Mr Irwin said he remembered reading that the best way to |survive an earthquake is to seek shelter in a doorway or underneath stairs.

As buildings began to crumble, he grabbed his wife and the couple huddled together for safety in a nearby doorway.

“It was a choice between going out onto the street or getting under a doorway into a building that might collapse,” he said.

“I could see the bricks coming down and I just grabbed Rosemary and rolled her into a shop doorway. We huddled in the corner until it was over.

“There were bricks raining down. The shaking was astonishing,” he added.

“Then, when it all stopped, there was silence.”

Remarkably, the couple were about to visit the iconic cathedral, part of which was reduced to rubble in the terror. Around 20 people are believed to have died after its spire collapsed.