Strong Earthquake Kills Dozens in Peru

At least 71 people have been killed and 680 injured after a powerful earthquake hit the coast of Peru, close to the capital Lima.

The quake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale toppled buildings, set off landslides and generated a minor tsunami.

The deputy health minister, Jose Calderon, confirmed the latest death toll and appealed to Peruvians to donate blood for the injured.

The quake struck at 6.40pm local time (12.40am BST) and was followed by four strong aftershocks. The US Geological Survey said the epicenter was 90 miles south-east of Lima.

One of the worst hit areas was the city of Ica, situated 165 miles south-east of Lima with a population of 650,000. Mr Calderon described the situation there as "dramatic".

News reports said people were crowding into hospitals, which had suffered cracks and other structural damage.

Among the dead were 17 people killed when a church collapsed in the city.

A tsunami warning was issued for Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia but it was later lifted.

Homes in Lima collapsed and many people fled into the streets, as the capital shook for more than a minute.

"This is the strongest earthquake I've ever felt," Maria Pilar Mena, 47, a sandwich vendor in Lima told Associated Press. "When the quake struck, I thought it would never end."

"People here hugging and crying in fear on the streets," Cristyane Marusiak told Reuters.

Firefighters quoted in radio reports said many streetlights and windows had shattered in Lima, but did not specify if there were any injuries.

Peru's president Alan Garcia ordered all police personnel to the streets of Lima to maintain order. He said the country's health minister and two other cabinet members would be sent to Ica.

Police reported that large boulders shook loose from hills and were blocking the country's central highway east of Lima.

Callers to Radioprogramas, Peru's main news radio station, said parts of several cities in southern Peru had been hit by blackouts.

The quake also knocked out telephone service and mobile phone service in the capital.

State doctors called off a national strike that began yesterday to handle the emergency.

It was the biggest earthquake to hit Peru since 2001, when a 7.9-magnitude tremor near the southern Andean city of Arequipa killed 71 people.