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ITN Source
PERU: Death Toll from massive earthquake reaches 330
PERU: Death Toll from massive earthquake reaches 330
Bodies line the streets of Pisco as the death toll rises to 337 in the Peru earthquake. In Lima, people ran onto the street as buildings shook and in Canete, survivors bed down in the town square after their homes were damaged by the 7.9 magnitude quake. A massive earthquake hit Peru on Wednesday (August 15) evening and officials said hundreds of people were killed in the rubble of collapsed homes and a church as rescuers searched for victims early on Thursday (August 16). Hospitals were overwhelmed with injured in the cities of Chincha and Pisco on the Pacific coast, and dead bodies were gathered on street corners in Pisco. Peru's civil defense agency said at least 337 people perished and 1,300 were injured in the 7.9-magnitude quake and the death toll was expected to rise. The U.S. Geological Survey reported aftershocks of magnitude 6.0 and 6.3 on Thursday morning near the central Peru coast. Local television news networks showed residents still outside their homes in Canete while in Pisco dozens of bodies lined sidewalks as officials continued to look for survivors. Emergency workers said the coastal province of Ica south of Lima was the hardest hit region. One fire department official in the area said at least four people were trapped when the main tower of the Senor de Luren church in the city of Ica was toppled. Rescuers struggled to move south toward Ica as portions of the Pan-American Highway, a key coastal route, were impassable and thieves assaulted stranded travelers, radio reports said. At least two people were killed in Canete and many residents were forced to sleep in the streets. In the poor Canete neighborhood Imperial, people set fires inside the ruins of their homes to keep warm during the night. "The people at this moment are sleeping in the plazas," said Richard Yanez, a mayor from the neighbouring town of Imperial. "We have the stadium and the coliseum. And of course they are afraid." he said. Yanez joined the citizens of Canete in the streets in the early hours of Thursday (August 13) morning as people returned to their homes to inspect the damage caused by the powerful quake. Office workers ran onto the streets in fear as tall buildings in Lima shook in two waves that lasted around 20 seconds each and cut power lines. In 1970, one of the world's deadliest earthquakes killed an estimated 50,000 Peruvians in catastrophic avalanches of ice and mud that buried the city of Yungay.
ITN Source | August 16, 2007
