PERU: Peruvians fight for aid and rescuers search for bodies as earthquake death toll rises

Record ID: 572583

  • Title: PERU: Peruvians fight for aid and rescuers search for bodies as earthquake death toll rises
  • Date: 19th August 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LUIS LAVERSA, WHOSE HOUSE WAS DESTROYED IN THE EARTHQUAKE, SAYING: "I have lived here for 47 years until now. I have not moved until this happened." VARIOUS OF RUBBLE ON THE STREET
  • Embargoed: 3rd September 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Peru
  • Country: Peru
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVAC8DAGTAVYYGWBXCB9MVDIT386
  • Story Text: Peruvians flee the city of Pisco while others continue the search for bodies in the rubble of Wednesday's earthquake.
    Earthquake survivors in Peru fled the worst-hit areas on Saturday (August 18) as looting escalated three days after the quake killed more than 500 people and left thousands homeless.
    Dozens of people streamed out of Pisco.
    Others remained outside their destroyed homes, hoping for help.
    "I have lived here for 47 years until now. I have not moved until this happened," said Luis Laversa.
    As the day progressed, scuffles over food and aid became increasingly violent in Pisco and Ica.
    Victims say food and water supplies are taking too long to reach them.
    They also accuse local stores of raising prices to cash in on the shortages.
    Some complain they cannot reach camps where the government and agencies are distributing relief supplies.
    "They should distribute house by house and neighbourhood by neighbourhood, everybody is hungry. Not like this, because all the people are fighting. What we need is organization," shouted one woman.
    Later in the day, President Alan Garcia weighed in on the situation.
    "It's natural, that after a situation of so much collective panic, the people that have recently been fearing death, suddenly have another fear, the fear of not having even a liter of water for tomorrow, or food for tomorrow," he said.
    At the same time, recovery efforts continued throughout the country, particularly at the San Clemente church in Pisco where dozens were killed in the quake.
    Recovery workers unearthed thirteen more bodies from the church rubble and brought in dogs to continue the process.
    More than 33,000 families lost their homes in the quake and about 1,000 people were injured. Many of the victims perished after their flimsy mud-brick homes caved in. Rescuers said the number of dead would probably rise.
    Wednesday's quake was one of the worst natural disasters to hit the South American country in the last century, cracking major highways and toppling electricity poles. In 1970, an earthquake killed an estimated 50,000 people in avalanches of ice and mud that buried the town of Yungay.
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