The dean of earthquake shattered Christchurch said he cried at the 'unbelievable' news there were no bodies in the rubble of the city's cathedral.
Since the 6.3 magnitude quake on 22 February, it was feared there were as many as 22 bodies buried in the rubble of the 130-year-old cathedral.
But Dean Peter Beck said he was told by the head of the Urban Search and Rescue task force there were no bodies inside.
He said: 'I was expecting to get a call from him saying they had found a body and I and my colleagues were going to go down and say prayers at the side of the body.
'But of course I got this other news and I just burst into tears. I was speechless, it was unbelievable.'
The confirmed death toll from the destructive earthquake stands at 165.
Police had previously said they expected it to rise to more than 240, although this figure may now be reduced.
Police superintendent Sandra Manderson told Radio New Zealand that officials are trying to establish where the information that an estimated 22 people were trapped in the cathedral had come from and the list of missing people was being reviewed.
'Urban search and rescue have cleared the whole area, they've cleared the tower, they've cleared the church and they've cleared the immediate surrounding area all round the church, and they've found no bodies,' she said.
'It will be really good if (the likely toll) does go down, and it's highly possible.'
The assistant Urban Search and Rescue Force commander Paul Baxter confirmed his team had completed clearing the inside of the collapsed cathedral spire and 'it is clear'.
Meanwhile, plans are under way to reduce the area of the city cordoned off for the past ten days to allow access for inner-city residents and business owners.
Areas where search teams had made considerable progress clearing destroyed buildings will be open from tomorrow, and people would be able to remove equipment and secure their properties.
