71 killed in Peru earthquake

A powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Peru’s coast near the capital, toppling buildings, setting off landslides and killing at least 71 people and injuring 680 others, Deputy Health Minister Jose Calderon said today.

Speaking on television and radio, Calderon called the situation “dramatic” in Ica, a city of 650,000 people 165 miles south-east of the capital Lima.