Peru quake kills over 380, as aid airlift launched

PISCO, Peru (AFP) - Peruvian officials struggled yesterday to reach cut-off victims on the country's southern coast after a devastating earthquake rocked the region leaving 387 dead and some 1,050 injured.

As daylight revealed the extent of the tragedy after Wednesday's powerful tremor, the government said it was launching an airlift with helicopters and planes to bring emergency aid to hard-hit coastal towns left isolated by the 7.7 magnitude quake.

Two air force planes departed Lima at dawn bound for Ica, 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Lima, carrying 50 tons of aid including medicine and food. And two national police helicopters loaded mainly with tents were headed for Pisco and north to nearby Chincha.

Buildings collapsed, major highways to the coast were torn asunder and power lines knocked out by the massive quake as overwhelmed local officials issued urgent appeals for help.

"We have hundreds of dead lying in the streets, and injured people in the hospital. It is totally indescribable," said Juan Mendoza, the mayor of Pisco.

"Seventy percent of the town is devastated," Mendoza said. "We don't have water, no communications, the houses are collapsed, the churches are destroyed," said the mayor, adding his town of 130,000 was in urgent need of medical assistance.

It was the biggest earthquake to hit the South American nation in decades.

Roberto Ocano, head of the country's firefighter service said yesterday that 387 people were killed and some 1,050 injured in the most-devastated coastal towns of Ica, Pisco and Chincha. He warned number could rise as the search for victims continues.

The Senor de Luren church in Ica collapsed during a service, killing at least four worshippers and injuring dozens.

Health Minister Carlos Vallejos traveled overnight to Ica to survey the damage. The government also sent a convoy of trucks to the region carrying medical supplies, doctors and nurses but damaged highways were hampering relief efforts.

The Peruvian Red Cross had sent an emergency team to the quake zone and said the trip by road from Lima to Pisco took seven hours instead of the usual two.

"The first impression of the team was of widespread devastation especially among the houses," said Giorgio Ferrario, the international Red Cross representative in Lima.

Foreign governments and aid groups launched relief efforts, with Spain, France and Ecuador promising emergency assistance and Bolivia saying it sent 12 tons of aid to the Pisco area. President Alan Garcia spoke by phone Thursday with leaders from Brazil, Chile and Colombia who offered their support.

The International Federation of the Red Cross said two planes carrying tents, plastic covers, blankets and water canisters would leave Panama City for Lima yesterday.

Pope Benedict XVI called for Roman Catholic organizations to help the quake victims, a Vatican statement said.

Tens of thousands of panicked residents in the capital Lima spent the night on the streets fearing more tremors, after the 7.7-magnitude quake rattled the country for two terrifying minutes Wednesday evening. A string of aftershocks through yesterday morning kept nerves on edge.

The quake, with its epicenter just offshore from Ica province, struck at 6:41 pm (2341 GMT) on Wednesday, prompting evacuations along the Pacific coast because of fears of a tsunami. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later lifted its warnings.

The government declared its highest state of emergency as authorities grappled with collapsed buildings and cut power and telephone lines.

Hospitals around the country were put on high alert amid predictions the death toll would rise and the health ministry made an emergency appeal for blood donations.

Garcia appealed for calm on national television. "Fortunately, the number of dead is not high for a quake of this power," he said. "Thanks to God almighty, it has not been as serious as in the past."