Powerful earthquake hits northern Peru

A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of seven hit northern Peru early today, cutting power and phone services.

One radio report said four people were killed.

Peru’s Geophysics Institute said the quake was centred about 60 miles north east of the jungle city Moyobamba, 420 miles north of the capital Lima.

“Several houses have fallen down and there are several people dead,” Carlos Mori, a resident of the jungle town of Lamas, near Moyobamba, said. “All of the residents of Lamas are in the streets. Most of the people are helping.”

Mori said about 20 houses had collapsed and that four people were dead.

Miguel Reyes, president of the Amazonas region, said power was lost for about an hour and that several walls had crumbled in the jungle city of Chachapoyas, about 100 miles north west of the earthquake’s epicentre, but that there were no fatalities there.

The earthquake was felt throughout Peru’s northern coast and as far away as Bogota, Colombia.

It was the strongest earthquake to strike Peru since a devastating 8.1-magnitude quake hit the Arequipa province in southern Peru in June 2001, killing at least 75 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.