They hadn't found her in time. We guessed her parents had put her in there when their house started breaking up. Most people survived in the open by hiding behind concrete steps and other low, heavy structures. Most of those who stayed in their homes died. Every now and then, mainly during the daytime, we'd hear a distant crack of gunfire.
People can be very strange and everyone reacts differently in a crisis.
I remember hearing of one case, a volunteer electricial helping to put the town's power supply back together, was shot by a farmer who mistakenly thought he was looting. He was dragging cables out of a ruined roof and the farmer called for him to stop. The guy either ignored him or didn't hear, so the guy just up a shot him dead with his old 303. It was very sad. The guy had a wife and children back in Perth.