BBC News Report
A strong earthquake lasting more than a minute hit southern Peru, killing at least 47 people and injuring hundreds. Correspondents say the number of casualties is expected to rise when contact is made with more remote rural areas.
The quake struck about 600km southeast of the Peruvian capital Lima at 15:33 local time (20:33 GMT) on Saturday and sent residents fleeing from their homes in panic. It had a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean close to the Peruvian coast, according to the U.S. National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado. The Peruvian Geophysical Institute, however, reported that the tremor measured 6.9 and that the epicenter was some 80km inland.
Chile and Bolivia also felt the earthquake. In northern Chile, 30 people were injured, four of them seriously. There have been no immediate reports of fatalities or property damage in Bolivia. Many Peruvians phoned in to radio stations, frantic for news of their family members in affected areas. Some callers say that there are thousands of people homeless in southern Peru. Many areas have lost power and communications.
Two Peruvian cargo planes with 22 tons of food, blankets and medicine were on their way to Arequipa.
A Missionaries Account
I was in our third-story apartment. As soon as I felt the earthquake, I ran to get under the cement beam. The whole building was shaking. After a minute it slowed down, and I was thanking God it was over. Then it started up again for another minute. Pictures were falling off the walls. Glasses were falling off the counter tops. Windows were being pushed open.
The second minute seemed worse than the first. I kept wondering if I should make a dash for the streets or stay under the column. Fear got the best of me and I just stayed under the column, feeling the walls and floor shake and praying for mercy.
As soon as it was over, my fear turned to Phyllys. She was teaching at the five-story Bible institute building. The phones were dead, so I went to the streets to grab a cab. Everybody and their brother were in the streets trying to check on loved ones. No buildings looked to have fallen, but many people were crying. I ended up having to walk halfway to the building before I finally caught a cab. When I got there, Phyllys was fine but worried about me as I had been about her.
Lima was shaken up, but as far as we can tell, there is no major damage. The Bible institute building and national offices are fine.
Coordinator of Unreached People Groups, Jorge and Elisabeth Giron, were also in Peru at the time of earthquake: “We are doing fine?just a little shaken?but we can see this morning the seriousness of the earthquake. I just learned that we have lost three churches and a lot of damage to the homes of our members. As of now the overseer, Brother Tito Apestegui, told me there are no deaths in our church.”
Wayne and Phyllys Wozniak
Missionaries to Peru
Project Number 0650153
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© 2007 Church of God World Missions [1]