The deadly earthquake that has devastated his native New Zealand has shocked West Ham defender Winston Reid. The 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch just hours after the Hammers had booked their place in the last eight of the FA Cup with a 5-1 win over Burnley with Reid contributing to the goal fest.
"It was a fantastic night for me and for the team, but obviously a thing like this happening puts it all into perspective," Reid told West Ham's website.
"I heard about the earthquake and then saw the pictures of it all on the news. It is devastating and my heart goes out to everyone back home.
"I would just like to say that I am thinking of everyone back home, especially those who have lost loved ones and have had their lives changed because of this.
"It is not a large country, but the spirit among the people there will be what gets them through. They will all help each other out and will help each other to recover from what has happened. My thoughts are with everyone."
The earthquake is thought to have killed over 65 people and left countless others trapped underneath the rubble.
The 22 year old was born in Auckland but moved to Denmark with his mum aged 10 but still has many family and friends in New Zealand.
"My immediate reaction was to call home to my family and friends - the problem was that because of the quake, the phone lines were all down as you would expect, so it took a bit of time to get through, which was worrying," said the New Zealand international.
"I had to get messages through and then get them sent on to others and do it like that, but my family and friends are okay.
"Obviously everything is turned upside down, but they are all feeling so fortunate, and so am I, that they are all alive that is the main thing because people have lost their lives and that is the most tragic thing.
"While there are many buildings and houses that have been destroyed, many of the buildings are built strongly and so would have survived, so hopefully many people are also okay.
"It is a very sad time because they have lost loved ones. I have also seen pictures on the news of people on buses with their belongings of what has survived.
"I have not experienced an earthquake myself back home, but I know a few months ago there was a small tremor, so it looks like a bigger one had been building up - there is nothing you can do.
"Even if you live in a country where earthquakes happen, I don't think you are ever fully prepared for it. It is still a shock when it happens as you simply can't stop it or stop what it does."
