Earthquake diaryAn aid worker reflects on the Peru tremor and its aftermath Aug 24, 2007
Jose Manuel, a Catholic priest based in Ica, Peru, is helping survivors re-build their lives after a massive earthquake destroyed their homes and claimed more than 500 lives. He runs a medical project called Health Houses which is supported by the UK charity, Christian Aid ... When the earthquake struck, I was in my house on the outskirts of Ica, in a shanty town called Senor de Luren. (BBC News)
Peru's PM rejects aid criticisms Aug 24, 2007
Last week's earthquake left thousands homeless in Peru's Ica region. A Peruvian polling company says that the approval rating for President Alan Garcia - who spent several days and nights in the affected areas - has doubled to 76. (BBC News)
CWS situation report: Peru earthquake Aug 24, 2007
The most affected locations include the regions of Ica (with the cities and provinces of Pisco, Ica and Chincha), Lima (provinces of Caete and Yauyos) and Huancavelica (provinces of Huaytar and Castrovirreyna) ... RESPONSE: Church World Service is supporting efforts by its partners and fellow Action by Churches Together (ACT) members in Peru, including the Evangelical Lutheran Association for Aid to Community Development (DIACONIA), Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and the Center for Studies and... (AlertNet)
Peru rattled by fresh earthquake Aug 24, 2007
It is not known whether the aftershock, which the US Geological Survey website listed at a 5 ... Friday's aftershock, which struck at about 0820 (1320 local time) was one of some 300 that have followed Wednesday's quake, the Peruvian Geophysical Institute said - and one of the strongest ... The worst damage from the main earthquake was in the coastal cities of Ica and Pisco, south of Lima. (Yahoo News -- Earthquakes & Volcanoes)
WFP urgently appeals for funds as aid efforts in Peru quake zone intensify Aug 23, 2007
Gauvreau said that despite earlier scattered scenes of chaos in the worst-affected provinces of Pisco and Ica, the situation appeared to be stabilising ... Regional SpokesmanWFP/Latin America andthe CaribbeanTel ... WFP/Latin America andthe CaribbeanTel. (AlertNet)
Peru plans reconstruction after quake Aug 23, 2007
A bulldozer demolishes a house destroyed by quake in Ica, south Peru, Aug. 21, 2007 ... The Peruvian government has planned to employ some 8,000 people to clear the rubble and reconstruct three of the worst-hit cities, namely Pisco, Ica and Chincha, Peruvian President Alan Garcia has said. (Xinhuanet, China)
Wave of refugees quits Peru quake ruins Aug 23, 2007
A week on from the August 15 disaster, a daily stream of families with their belongings packed into cars, trucks and tricycles heads out of town on the Panamerican highway ... Aid continued to arrive, but the Spanish non-government aid group K-9 accused the Peruvian government of not properly distributing the international aid including donations from Japan, Europe and elsewhere in Latin America ... The head of the Civil Defense service Luis Palomino on state television said prefabricated houses... (Yahoo! Asia News)
As Hurricane Dean Continues on Destructive Path, ADRA Responds Aug 22, 2007
Silver Spring, MarylandWhen Hurricane Dean struck the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatn Peninsula early Tuesday morning, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) was ready to respond, with ADRA offices throughout Central America and the Caribbean having initiated preparations well before the June 1 start of the Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Dean, the first hurricane of the official season, transformed into a category five storm with winds reaching speeds of up to 165 miles... (AlertNet)
CARE reports on distributions and ongoing needs in Peru Aug 22, 2007
Additionally, two medical teams supported by the CARE-managed Global Fund in Peru have been dispatched to Pisco, Ica, Chincha and Canete to check on health conditions of people affected by HIV, AIDS and Tuberculosis ... The latest numbers indicate there are 35,568 families directly affected, approximately 503 deaths and 1042 injured as a result of the quake ... According to Virginia Baffigo, coordinator for the Global Fund program for CARE Peru, the Global Fund is supporting the Ministry of... (AlertNet)
Caritas aid gets through to Peru's quake victims Aug 22, 2007
Vatican City, 21 August 2007 The Caritas Confederation has launched an appeal worth over $US 11 million to help victims of last week's earthquake in Peru that levelled the coastal town of Pisco and killed over 500 people ... Caritas has already set up its main centres of operations in Pisco, Caete, Ica and Chinca, where hundreds of volunteers are helping with aid distributions and other activities ... Caritas Peru has in the past responded to major earthquakes in Moyobamba in 1991, in Ica in... (AlertNet)
Read Article » Aug 22, 2007
Peru family's struggle reflects hardships after quake - International Herald Tribune. Peru family's struggle reflects hardships after quake Despite foreign aid arriving, Peruvians throughout the earthquake-ravaged zone are struggling to get the basic food and water they need to survive. (International Herald Tribune)
Peruvian government to hire quake victims to clear rubble Aug 22, 2007
Speaking in the fishing port of Pisco, where last week's deadly magnitude-8 quake destroyed 85 percent of homes, Garcia said half the city's electric-powered wells were now operational, along with all the wells in nearby Ica and Chincha. Garcia also said electricity had been restored to 90 percent of Ica and 60 percent of Chincha ... The government launched a program to employ some 8,000 Pisco, Ica and Chincha residents to help clear tons of rubble from adobe homes that crumbled in the quake,... (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
Hopes fade for Peru victims Aug 21, 2007
The quake left more than 500 people dead and thousands homeless in the Ica region, south of the capital, Lima ... "The possibility of finding someone alive is practically nil," fire chief Jorge Molina told the French news agency, AFP. ... The Vatican on Monday said that it was sending $200,000 (100,000) in aid for victims. (BBC News -- Americas)
Scores killed in Peru earthquake Aug 21, 2007
All but one of the deaths were in the coastal province of Ica, about 265km (165 miles) south of the capital, Lima ... The US Geological Survey said the epicentre was beneath the Pacific Ocean, about 145km (90 miles) south-east of Lima ... But the full devastating force of the earthquake was felt closer to the epicentre in the southern coastal province of Ica, where it brought down buildings, cut power supplies and disrupted communications. (Yahoo News -- Earthquakes & Volcanoes)
Looting disrupts quake rescue bid Aug 21, 2007
Destruction from the quake, which injured at least 1,500 people, was centered in the cities of Ica and Pisco in 's southern desert, about 125 miles southeast of the capital of ... "We always work on a four-day window, and I'm talking realistically. So we are still looking for survivors, but there's not much more time," Wooster said ... The United States dispatched medical teams, two mobile clinics and two helicopters, along with $150,000 to buy emergency supplies. (CNN -- World)
Recovering from the Peru Earthquake Aug 21, 2007
Blue-plastic tents dot the landscape from the beach town of Cerro Azul, made famous in the Beach Boys song "Surfin' Safari," to the city of Ica, 160 miles south of Lima, the capital ... Centuries old churches collapsed, museums in Pisco and Ica are now little more than debris ... "The government is doing very much, which is important, but I think we need to leave the work at this point to the experts," says Ica Bishop Guido Brena. (Time.com)
Peru to Speed Up Rebuilding Plans After More Earthquakes Add to Death Toll Aug 20, 2007
7 quake toppled his previously damaged mud-brick home in the coastal town of Ica yesterday, according to state news agency Andina. The government will set up an agency to oversee the reconstruction of the towns of Ica, Pisco, Chincha and Canete and provide 6,000 soles ($1,900) in credit for each homeless family, Peru's President Alan Garcia said ... Peru is Latin America's seventh-largest economy. (Bloomberg -- Latin America)
Peru calls off quake rescue efforts Aug 20, 2007
Jorge Molina, rescue operations chief for area firefighters in Peru, said: "The possibility of finding someone alive is nearly nil." About 400 firefighters, including groups from Britain, Spain and neighbouring South American nations, have taken part in the search and rescue efforts ... Medical officials said Saturday that symptoms of respiratory infections have begun to emerge as a floating dust cloaks the town and warned the situation could deteriorate into an epidemic if residents fail to... (Aljazeera.Net)
Troops patrol Peru quake town as rescue search ends Aug 20, 2007
Hours later, close to the provincial capital of Ica, another mob tried to raid a convoy of trucks carrying emergency supplies ... Medical officials said Saturday that symptoms of respiratory infections have begun to emerge as a floating dust cloaks the town and warned the situation could deteriorate into an epidemic if residents fail to take precautions ... Peru's geophysical institute reported more than 400 tremors following the quake, which was the most devastating to hit the country since... (Vancouver Sun)
Government's earthquake relief in Peru not enough, say experts Aug 20, 2007
Hundreds of tons of food, clothing, and supplies have been airlifted and driven into Pisco, a clearing house for aid for the rest of the Ica department, where more than 500 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured ... Foreign aid workers say the problem is not a lack of supplies or government will, but the decision to put federal politicians in charge of logistical operations ... The Pan-American Highway, which connects Peru's major cities along the coast, will require costly repairs in... (Christian Science Monitor)
'We will rebuild quake-hit cities' Aug 20, 2007
Destruction was centred in Peru's southern desert, the oasis city of Ica and Pisco, about 125 miles south-east of the capital of Lima. As many as 80 per cent of the people in earthquake-hit urban areas may not have access to clean water and many rural communities still have not been reached to assess the damage, said Dominic Nutt, one of an emergency assessment team in Peru for the aid agency Save the Children. (Scotsman)
Peru's leader promises rebuilding Aug 20, 2007
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to ... Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. (USA Today -- News)
Peru sends troops to calm desperate earthquake area Aug 20, 2007
Defense Minister Allan Wagner Tizon said the extra troops would bring the number of military personnel to 1,000 in the cities of Pisco, Ica, Canete and Chincha Alta, which were hardest hit by the earthquake ... Disorder spread from Pisco to other coastal cities, according to local news media reports, with much of the looting and armed robberies reported in Chincha Alta and Ica ... CLINICAL PHARMACY SPECIALIST Maxor. (San Francisco Chronicle)
The Chinese government has decided to donate 300,000 U.S. dollars in cash to quake-ravaged Peru for disaster relief efforts, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.• 5.5-magnitude aftershock hits southern Peru Aug 20, 2007
The epicenter was located in the Pacific area some 65 km west of the city of Pisco, Ica department, and the focus was some 33 km deep, the institute said. Strong tremors could be felt in parts of the Ica department and capital Lima. (Xinhuanet, China)
A Peruvian mother's search for her son Aug 20, 2007
"A girl," says the man from the identification unit ... Sunday marked four days since a magnitude 8 earthquake centered in the Pacific shook Peru, killing about 500 people, mostly in this coastal city and the nearby towns of Ica and Chincha ... "The children, in particular, pose a problem. They don't carry any identification.". (Los Angeles Times)
Troops mobilized in Peru after quake Aug 19, 2007
Defense Minister Allan Wagner Tizon said the extra troops would bring the number of military personnel to 1,000 in the cities of Pisco, Ica, Ca ete, and Chincha Alta, which were hardest hit by the earthquake ... Disorder spread from Pisco to other coastal cities, according to local news media reports, with much of the looting and armed robberies reported in Chincha Alta and Ica ... Stanojevich said about 80 percent of buildings in Pisco and 25 percent in Ica had collapsed, and that farther... (Boston Globe)
More troops for Peru quake zone Aug 19, 2007
President Alan Garcia, who is touring the affected Ica region, called for order to be restored whatever the cost ... The Ica region, south of the capital Lima, was devastated by the quake ... Further south, in Ica, police fired shots into the air to disperse looters. (BBC News)
Peru Quake Death Toll Exceeds 500; At Least 17,000 Mud Homes Are Destroyed Aug 19, 2007
9, only two days after the country's worst earthquake in more than 30 years, the U.S. Geological Survey said ... 9 temblor at 10:52 p.m. New York time near the coast of central Peru, the U.S. Geological Survey reported ... The south-central region of Ica was hit hardest by the temblor two days ago. (Bloomberg -- Germany)
Peru President Calls for Order Amid Post-Earthquake... Aug 19, 2007
Family inspects their destroyed home in Ica, 170 miles southeast of Lima. Family inspects their destroyed home in Ica, 170 miles southeast of Lima ... On Friday afternoon, a Peruvian navy helicopter carrying food and medicine crash landed onto the roof of a one-story building in Ica, near Pisco's main plaza, local media said. (Fox News)
Military Called to Peru to Stop Post-Earthquake Looting Aug 19, 2007
Family inspects their destroyed home in Ica, 170 miles southeast of Lima. Family inspects their destroyed home in Ica, 170 miles southeast of Lima ... Destruction was centered in Peru's southern desert, in the oasis city of Ica and in nearby Pisco, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of the capital of Lima. (Fox News)
Looting, Anxiety Follow Peru Quake... Aug 19, 2007
On Friday afternoon, a Peruvian navy helicopter carrying food and medicine crash landed onto the roof of a one-story building in Ica, near Pisco's main plaza, local media said ... Fishing boats lay marooned in city streets in nearby San Andres, and an oceanside neighborhood of Pisco looked like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, with piles of rubble poking from water that rushed in during the tremor ... The U.S. government released $150,000 in cash to pay for emergency supplies and dispatched... (The Drudge Report)
* Garcia calls for order after Peru quake Aug 19, 2007
On Friday afternoon, a Peruvian navy helicopter carrying food and medicine crash-landed onto the roof of a one-story building in Ica, near Pisco's main plaza, local media said ... Taiwan International Health Action (IHA) also sent a medical mission on Friday to Peru to help with post-disaster relief ... The Taiwan government made a donation of US$100,000 to the South American country, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
Survivors flee quake-hit Peru towns, army moves in Aug 19, 2007
The government added 600 troops to the 400 already patrolling the towns of Pisco, Chincha and Ica -- all within 185 miles (300 km) south of the capital Lima -- and about 2,000 police were also deployed ... Wednesday's quake was one of the worst natural disasters to hit the South American country in the last century, cracking major highways and toppling electricity poles ... (Additional reporting by Mariana Bazo, Maria Luisa Palomino and Monica Vargas). (AlertNet)
Peru Earthquake: CARE assessment teams report damage and need Aug 19, 2007
0-magnitude earthquake along the south coast of Peru report that an estimated 30,000 families are without homes, and 80 percent of buildings in Pisco and 25 percent in Ica have collapsed. Access to water, food and medical treatment is limited throughout the area ... INDECI, the Peruvian National Civil Defense, has reported 650 dead and 1,000 wounded in Ica (Chincha and Pisco), Caete and Huancavelica. (AlertNet)
PHOTOS: Peru quake aftermath Aug 19, 2007
REUTERS/David Mercado Panamericana highway is seen after a strong earthquake in Chincha, south of Lima August 16, 2007 ... REUTERS/Pilar Olivares Coffins are seen at a cemetery destroyed in an earthquake in Ica, south of Lima, August 16, 2007 ... REUTERS/Pilar Olivares Injured people wait to be treated at a hospital in Ica, south of Lima, August 16, 2007. (AlertNet)
Peruvians weep at church statues that survive quake Aug 19, 2007
Nearby, a mobile hospital attended to injured survivors while others continued to search for kin among rows of distended, purple bodies laid out in the square and still awaiting identification ... The Peruvian government sent hundreds of troops to the stricken towns of Pisco, Chincha and Ica on Saturday as looting intensified, partly because of frustration over what survivors said was the slow pace of aid ... Source: CARE - USA Source: WV - LACRO Source: Mercy Corps Source: Medical Teams... (AlertNet)
Peru Deploys Soldiers to Halt Looting of Aid Convoys Following Earthquake Aug 19, 2007
Some 1,000 soldiers were deployed in the towns of Ica, Pisco and Chincha after crowds assaulted aid trucks yesterday, killing one person, Cabinet chief Jorge del Castillo said today ... Peru is Latin America's seventh-largest economy ... The increase in public spending will be significant and in the medium term should spur construction as public spending is allocated to replacing damaged infrastructure. (Bloomberg -- Latin America)
Survivors flee quake-hit Peru towns Aug 19, 2007
The government added 600 troops to the 400 already patrolling the towns of Pisco, Chincha and Ica -- all within 185 miles south of the capital Lima -- and about 2,000 police were also deployed ... Wednesday's quake was one of the worst natural disasters to hit the South American country in the last century, cracking major highways and toppling electricity poles ... (Additional reporting by Mariana Bazo, Maria Luisa Palomino and Monica Vargas). (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Rescuers search for signs of life in southwestern Peru Aug 19, 2007
U.S. Geological Survey has detected nearly 20 aftershocks ... The most serious damage was suffered in areas along the country's Pacific coast south of Lima, the capital, including Chincha, Ica, Canete and Pisco ... A quarter of the buildings in Ica, a city of 120,000, were destroyed, The Associated Press reported. (Yahoo News -- Peru)
Grim quake toll from Peru church Aug 19, 2007
Further south, in Ica, police fired shots into the air to disperse looters ... Countries across Latin America - including Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Chile - have sent relief supplies ... The earthquake happened in one of the most seismically active regions of the world. (Yahoo News -- Peru)
Looting, infection spreads after quake Aug 19, 2007
A government statement out of Lima, meanwhile, said 1000 military have been sent to assist 2000 police in patrolling streets in Pisco, Chincha, Ica and Canete, with orders to "deal firmly" with looting and plundering ... Hours later close to the provincial capital of Ica, another mob tried to raid a convoy of trucks carrying emergency supplies ... Peru's geophysical institute reported more than 400 tremors following the quake, which was the most devastating to hit the country since 1970. (iAfrica.com)
Peru quake survivors await aid Aug 19, 2007
" Near the entrance to Pisco, mobs of residents looted cars and trucks bringing food and medical supplies to the city, breaking windshields with rocks, thrusting their arms through open car windows and racing on foot from one promising-looking automobile to another. Outnumbered police shot their guns into the air in attempts to disperse the crowd. Along the Pan-American Highway from Lima, the earthquake had torn out large chunks of asphalt and created zigzagging crevices in many parts of the... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Troops to battle postquake looting in Peru Aug 19, 2007
Destruction from the quake, which also injured at least 1,500 people, was centered in the cities of Ica and Pisco in Peru's southern desert, about 125 miles southeast of the capital, Lima. Garcia said at least 80,000 people were affected in some way, mostly through the destruction or damage of homes. (Seattle Times)
Post-quake looting plagues Peru Aug 19, 2007
Hundreds of reinforcements were posted along highways and in the hard-hit cities of Chincha, Pisco and Ica ... "Some people exaggerate, and that's not good," said Garcia, whose political future may be staked on the government's response to the quake ... "There is a sense of panic, of collective fear. But this is basically a psychological situation.". (Los Angeles Times)
Calm urged for Peru quake victims Aug 18, 2007
The worst damage from the main earthquake was in the coastal cities of Ica and Pisco, the centre of which was largely destroyed ... Countries across Latin America - including Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Chile - have sent relief supplies ... The earthquake happened in one of the most seismically active regions of the world. (BBC News)
Engineers work to reconnect Peru Aug 18, 2007
The five-strong team will deploy satellite telephone and internet access in three centres - at Pisco, where the quake hit hardest, Ica and Chincha ... Telecoms Sans Frontieres (TSF) is charity that works with the United Nations and the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) to restore communications in disaster-hit areas and the developing world ... Tens of thousands of people have lost their homes, while power supplies, telecommunications and road links have been severely... (BBC News)
In pictures: Peru aftermath Aug 18, 2007
These corpses in a town square await identification ... These refugees are queuing at a water distribution centre in Ica, some 170 miles (275km) south-east of Lima. (BBC News)
Survivors of Peru quake fear aftershocks Aug 18, 2007
Destruction from Wednesday's quake was centered in Peru's southern desert, near the oasis city of Ica and nearby Pisco, about 125 miles southeast of the capital of Lima ... Pisco Mayor Juan Mendoza told Lima radio station CPN, sobbing: "The dead are scattered by the dozens on the streets. We don't have lights, water, communications. Most houses have fallen. Churches, stores, hotels - everything is destroyed." ... 9 to 8 on Thursday by the U.S. Geological Survey. (FOX 11, AZ)
SOUTHCOM Alerts Additional Medics for Peru Relief Aug 18, 2007
MIAMI, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A 14-person, U.S. Air Force medical team, consisting of six doctors, a physician's assistant, a pharmacist and medical technicians, will depart Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Saturday en route to Ica, Peru to assist residents affected by an 8 ... The medical readiness team will deploy by commercial air and is scheduled to arrive in Ica on Sunday ... The deployment will increase to 36 the amount of U.S. military medical personnel providing assistance... (PR Newswire)
Peru rattled by fresh earthquake Aug 18, 2007
It is not known whether the aftershock, which the US Geological Survey website listed at a 5 ... Friday's aftershock, which struck at about 0820 (1320 local time) was one of some 300 that have followed Wednesday's quake, the Peruvian Geophysical Institute said - and one of the strongest ... The worst damage from the main earthquake was in the coastal cities of Ica and Pisco, south of Lima. (BBC News -- Americas)
Anxious Peru quake survivors loot market Aug 18, 2007
This photo released by the government news agency Agencia Andina, shows military personnel and firemen at the scene where a Navy helicopter crashed in Ica, Friday, Aug. 17, 2007 ... Medical services were moved to a basketball court and the damaged hospital building was being used as a morgue, said Dr. Jose Renteros, the physician in charge ... Fishing boats lay marooned in city streets in nearby San Andres, and an oceanside neighborhood of Pisco looked like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina,... (Anchorage Daily News)
Help begins rolling in as quake’s toll rises in Peru Aug 18, 2007
ICA, Peru (AP) The death toll rose to 450 on Thursday in the magnitude-8 earthquake that devastated cities of adobe and brick in Peru s southern desert ... Destruction was centered in Peru s southern desert, at the oasis city of Ica and the nearby port of Pisco, about 125 miles southeast of the capital, Lima ... Some 17 others died inside a church in Ica, the Canal N cable news station said. (Charles City Press, IO)
Peru Quake: Survivors Loot Shops Aug 18, 2007
He sent 200 Navy officials to the fishing city of Pisco - which bore the brunt of the quake with nearby Ica - to help maintain order. Advertisement. (Sky News)
Peru earthquake survivors loot, fight for food Aug 18, 2007
People in dusty clothes, distraught after two nights without shelter, bemoaned a lack of medical attention and emergency supplies ... Countries throughout Latin America, as well as the United States and European nations, were sending or have pledged aid ... 9 magnitude and damaged homes in the impoverished region of Huancavelica, which also lies on the coast south of Lima. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Rescuers race to find Peru quake survivors Aug 18, 2007
At least 10 aftershocks of varying intensity were felt late Friday here as well as the city of Ica, Canete and Lima, the capital ... Hours later another mob tried to raid a convoy of trucks carrying emergency supplies close to the provincial capital of Ica. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Earthquake survivors desperate for food Aug 18, 2007
Destruction was centred in Peru's southern desert, in the oasis city of Ica, in nearby Pisco, about 200 kilometers southeast of the capital of Lima ... The U.S. government said it had released $150,000 in emergency funds for emergency supplies and was sending medical teams, including one already in Peru for a training mission ... The temblor occurred in one of the most seismically active regions in the world, where the Nazca and South American tectonic plates meet. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Rescuers search Peru quake rubble Aug 18, 2007
The full force of the quake was felt in Ica province ... Damaged roads are hampering rescuers trying to reach Pisco, Ica, and other rural towns south-west of the capital ... The UN's Margareta Wahlstrom said power and communications were down and that 80% of houses in some areas had been destroyed because of poor construction. (Yahoo News -- Peru)
Peru rattled by fresh earthquake Aug 18, 2007
It is not known whether the aftershock, which the US Geological Survey website listed at a 5 ... Friday's aftershock, which struck at about 0820 (1320 local time) was one of some 300 that have followed Wednesday's quake, the Peruvian Geophysical Institute said - and one of the strongest ... The worst damage from the main earthquake was in the coastal cities of Ica and Pisco, south of Lima. (Yahoo News -- Peru)
Powerful Quake Hits Peru Aug 18, 2007
Rescue workers in the hard-hit city of Ica laid out the dead in body bags along the city's plaza. Relatives searching desperately for missing loved ones unzipped the bags, crying hysterically if they recognized a familiar face ... The State Department says one American died in the quake. (WTVR.com, VA)
Mobs loot market, stop aid trucks as Peru quake toll tops 500 Aug 18, 2007
PISCO, Peru - Earthquake survivors desperate for food and water ransacked a public market, while other mobs looted a refrigerated trailer and blocked aid trucks on the Pan-American highway, prompting Peru's president to appeal for calm Friday ... Destruction was centered in Peru's southern desert, in the oasis city of Ica, in nearby Pisco, about 200 kilometers southeast of the capital of Lima ... The U.S. government released $150,000 in emergency funds for emergency supplies and was sending in... (AZCentral -- News)
In swath of devastation, Peru's death toll climbs Aug 18, 2007
" Mendoza said the quake had destroyed as much as 70 percent of the city. "So much effort, and our city is destroyed," he said, crying audibly, in comments broadcast on radio station RPP in Lima. Power and water service were still out in Pisco on Thursday night, and many residents said they would sleep outside again, afraid that aftershocks could topple more structures. In the city center, the wreckage of dozens of old adobe homes lay in the streets. Rescuers were often forced to walk far out of... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Quake victims plead for help as death toll nears 500 Aug 18, 2007
Quake aftermath houses were reduced to rubble in Ica, a city south of the Peruvian capital, Lima, on Thursday ... LIMA: The death toll in a huge earthquake that battered the coast of Peru soared towards 500 as rescue workers struggled to reach scenes of devastation, and stunned victims appealed for medical aid, water and coffins ... Teams dug beneath the rubble on Thursday in the cities of Pisco and Ica and the nearby town of Chincha, all situated near the epicentre of the magnitude 8. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Peru's rescue helicopter falls down Aug 18, 2007
A helicopter carrying aid for earthquake victims is seen after it crashed on a building in Ica August 17, 2007 ... The Peruvian Navy helicopter was ferrying food and other aid from Lima to the city of Ica when it lost control and fell on the roof of an uninhabited house upon arriving at its destination ... The city of Ica, some 400 km from Lima, is the worst-hit region from a 7. (Xinhuanet, China)
Full Story from The Daily Free Press Aug 18, 2007
However, the students, who are staying at the hotel La Castellane, said they were discomforted by the lack of communication with BU or the program's coordinators for nearly five hours after the earthquake struck, reportedly killing at least 450 and injuring at least 2,000 ... About a half hour after the quake shook nearby Ica, the IP office tried but was unable to make contact with the students because the phones were not working ... "I'm sure some people are shook up, but there have been no... (U-Wire.com)
Peruvians mourn earthquake dead Aug 17, 2007
The UN's Margareta Wahlstrom said power and communications were down and that 80% of houses in some areas had been destroyed because of poor construction ... The province of Ica was the most damaged, but even in Lima, 150km (95 miles) from the epicentre, people stood trembling on the streets as buildings around them shook ... "We don't have lights, water, communications. Most houses have fallen, churches, stores, hotels, everything is destroyed," he said. (BBC News)
