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.

He encouraged Peruvians to donate blood for the injured and said a convoy of doctors and nurses was headed to the Ica area.

News reports said dozens of people were crowding hospitals in the city seeking help even though the hospitals had suffered cracks and other structural damage.