'I want my sister back not somebody else'

EVEN through her tears of grief Kate Busson can see why the authorities need to take their time in retrieving bodies from the rubble.

THE retrieval of bodies from beneath the Christchurch rubble may be painfully slow, but even through her tears of grief Kate Busson can see why the authorities need to take their time.

Ms Busson's sister, Deborah Roberts, the accounts manager at the King's Education language school on the third floor of the Canterbury TV building, has not been seen or heard from since 12.51pm on Tuesday.

As the earthquake struck, Ms Busson was on the phone to her younger sister, but when the earth started to shake, the phone went dead.

Ms Busson ran across town from her own office to the CTV building, but found it in ruins. She is still hoping her sister will be found alive but if she is not, she is prepared to wait until authorities are sure the body they return to her is that of Ms Roberts.

"I can understand why the relatives are getting frustrated and angry at the slow process of recovery and identification," she said. "They just want the people they love back with them."

It is understood that people waiting for news about their missing loved ones are becoming increasingly agitated at daily briefing sessions conducted by authorities for anxious relatives.

And Japanese media is reporting that several relatives of the 50 or so Japanese foreign students thought to be trapped in the CTV building are deeply upset at the way the search and rescue mission has been conducted. "I feel the same way, but this whole nightmare is already horrendous enough," she said. "We don't want there to be any mistakes with identification. I want my sister back, not somebody else."

Prime Minister John Key had given her and others who are awaiting news of their missing loved ones his "personal assurance" that the identification process would be undertaken with the utmost care, she said.

"I can't speak for anyone else but I can honestly say I think the authorities are doing a wonderful job," Ms Busson said. "It's just a terrible situation and they are dealing with us with a lot of sensitivity."

Ms Roberts, 40 this year, was due to get married in June. Her partner, Brendan, "is not doing too well", Ms Busson said.