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Peruvians mourn earthquake dead Search for Peru quake survivors
(about 3 hours later)
Peru will hold three days of mourning for the victims of a devastating earthquake that has left hundreds dead. Rescuers have been working through the night trying to find survivors of the devastating earthquake that hit Peru's central coast.
Rescuers are still pulling bodies from ruined buildings in the rural town of Pisco and nearby villages, 200km (120 miles) south-west of the capital, Lima. They were given hope when a man was pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed church in the town of Pisco, more than 24 hours after the tremor.
Hospitals and morgues were overwhelmed by the disaster, forcing residents to place dead bodies on the streets. The death toll from Wednesday's 8.0-magnitude quake has risen above 500, according to Peru's fire service.
At least 450 people died and many more were injured, but officials say they expect the death toll to rise. A series of aftershocks have hit the affected areas, causing panic.
President Alan Garcia declared that all public buildings would be closed for three days - including schools, military bases and museums. The worst damage from the earthquake was in the coastal cities of Ica and Pisco, south of the capital Lima.
Mr Garcia had earlier announced a state of emergency and sent cabinet ministers to the area.
See map of the affected area See map of the affected area
The UN's Margareta Wahlstrom said power and communications were down and that 80% of houses in some areas had been destroyed because of poor construction. Tens of thousands of people have lost their homes, while power supplies, telecommunications and road links have been severely disrupted.
Ms Wahlstrom, UN deputy emergency relief co-ordinator, said that the death toll was likely to rise. Hospitals and morgues have been overwhelmed, and the bodies of many victims that have been recovered from the rubble are lying on the streets.
I never experienced such a long and strong earthquake in Peru. It felt like it would never end Marcia, Lima class="" href="/1/hi/talking_point/6949537.stm">Eyewitness accounts class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/6949478.stm">In pictures: Peru quake The head of the Peruvian fire service, Roberto Ocno, told AFP news agency: "The toll has jumped to between 500 and 510 dead and 1,600 injured. There are dead trapped under houses."
She said almost $1m (£500,000) had already been pledged by several UN agencies to help the victims. 'A miracle'
The 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck on Wednesday evening at 1841 (2341 GMT), just off the coast of Peru. In Pisco, firefighters, police officers, soldiers and volunteers worked under floodlights to dig through the ruins of the church in the main square.
The province of Ica was the most damaged, but even in Lima, 150km (95 miles) from the epicentre, people stood trembling on the streets as buildings around them shook. I never experienced such a long and strong earthquake in Peru. It felt like it would never end Marcia, Lima class="" href="/1/hi/world/americas/6950805.stm">Supplies short in quake town class="" href="/1/hi/talking_point/6949537.stm">Eyewitness accounts class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/6949478.stm">In pictures: Peru quake Hundreds of people were buried when the building collapsed during a Mass, but the discovery of the male survivor lifted the rescuers.
"This is virtually a miracle, hopefully we can find more," said Carlos Cordova Gomez, chief of Peru's voluntary firefighters.
Juan Mendoza, mayor of Pisco, told a radio station that "the dead are scattered by the dozens on the streets".Juan Mendoza, mayor of Pisco, told a radio station that "the dead are scattered by the dozens on the streets".
He estimated that 70% of his coastal city was in ruins. He estimated that 70% of the city was in ruins.
"We don't have lights, water, communications. Most houses have fallen, churches, stores, hotels, everything is destroyed," he said."We don't have lights, water, communications. Most houses have fallen, churches, stores, hotels, everything is destroyed," he said.
class="" href="/1/hi/world/4126809.stm">How earthquakes happen class="" href="/1/hi/world/2059330.stm">Earthquake timeline The BBC's Luis del Valle, in Pisco, says people are in shock and local civil defence officials have acknowledged they have been overhwelmed by the scale of the disaster.
In the city of Ica, people sifted through the rubble of the Senor de Luren church, which collapsed during mass. Officials in Pisco and Ica are trying to register those who have been left homeless.
In Imperial, a town south of Lima, "about 80% of the adobe houses have fallen," Mayor Richard Yactayo told Reuters news agency. The authorities are also now trying to reach remote villages and hamlets in the region, our correspondent says.
Amid the bitter cold of winter, Imperial's survivors lit fires in their ruined homes to keep themselves warm. Relief effort
Offers of assistance, whether in the form of rescue experts or relief supplies, came from Spain, France, Ecuador and Bolivia. The government said helicopters and planes were taking emergency aid to affected areas.
President Garcia thanked God that the earthquake had not caused "a catastrophe with an immense number of victims". class="" href="/1/hi/world/4126809.stm">How earthquakes happen class="" href="/1/hi/world/2059330.stm">Earthquake timeline President Alan Garcia has visited the region and sent condolences to the families of the victims. Three days of national mourning have been declared.
An international humanitarian relief effort has been mobilised.
Peru's neighbours - including Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Chile - have sent relief supplies.
Help is also coming from the United States, Canada, Spain, Italy and France.
The United Nations said it was ready to help, while the International Federation of the Red Cross said it had sent two planes loaded with supplies.
The earthquake happened in one of the most seismically active regions of the world.
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.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.
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