An earthquake survivor rebuilds his home in Guadalupe,Ica, August 21, 2007.
In searching for some of this information, I came across another female young adult's blog pertaining to her trip to Peru. She tells of her amazing experience in changing lives as she helps in the disaster relief from the Earthquake. Please check out all the stories from her blog, and for some beautiful pictures as well :)
President Garcia thanked God that the earthquake had not caused "a catastrophe with an immense number of victims".
In 1970, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake high in the Peruvian Andes triggered a landslide that buried the town of Yungay and killed 66,000 people.
"We have declared a state of emergency in Ica province and we are going this evening to ensure that regional and local governments, civil defence institutions and ministries can spend what they need to, rapidly and immediately," Mr Garcia said.
The president ordered police onto the streets of Lima to keep order, and schools are being closed because the buildings may be unsafe.
In Lima's poorer suburbs and shanty towns, news of the damage is still coming in, reports the BBC's Dan Collyns. However, he says the feeling in the city, where one third of the population lives, is that it may have narrowly avoided a major disaster.
Deputy Health Minister Jose Calderon described the situation in the city of Ica, where 650,000 people live, as "dramatic". The National Institute for Civil Defence said 336 people had been killed in the province and 827 others injured. One person was killed in Lima.
TV reports said 17 people were killed and dozens injured when the Senor de Luren church in Ica collapsed during evening mass. Callers to Radio Programas del Peru (RPP) said many homes in poor neighbourhoods in Ica and nearby Chincha had collapsed and that several cities had no electricity. The town of Pisco, 60km east of the epicentre, was also badly affected.
Hospitals are reported to be overwhelmed by the number of casualties. A cameraman for the Associated Press said the floors of the hospital in Chincha were covered with dead bodies.
The mayor of Ica, Mariano Nacimiento, said he had asked the government for medicine, blankets, tents and all help that could be given. The weather in the region is very cold at the moment.
Rescuers have struggled to reach Ica, however, as parts of the Pan-American Highway have been blocked by huge cracks in the tarmac and fallen power lines.
Unconfirmed reports said a bridge north of the city had collapsed.
hern coastal province of Ica, where it brought down buildings, cut power supplies and disrupted communications.
Peru is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, and to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. The Spanish Empire conquered the country in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty, which included most of its South American colonies. After achieving independence in 1821, Peru has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing.
Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. Its geography varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. It is a developing country with a medium Human Development Index score and a poverty level around 50%. Its main economic activities include agriculture, fishing, mining, and manufacturing of products such as textiles.
The Peruvian population, estimated at 28 million. The main spoken language is Spanish, although a significant number of Peruvians speak Quechua and other native languages. This mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a wide diversity of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music.
