LIMA: A powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Peru's coast near the capital on Wednesday, toppling buildings, setting off landslides and killing at least 15 people when a church collapsed in a southern city.
Authorities issued a tsunami warning for Latin America's Pacific coast but later canceled it when the wave measured only 20 to 30 centimeters (8-12 inches).
President Alan Garcia said the earthquake apparently had not caused a catastrophe.
"Thank you, God Almighty, these terrible quakes did not cause a high death toll like in other years,'' he said in a nationally televised address. He did not give a death toll.
Firefighters said lamp posts collapsed and windows shattered in Lima. Hundreds of workers were evacuated office buildings after the quake struck and remained outside, fearing more aftershocks.
``This is the strongest earthquake I've ever felt,'' said Maria Pilar Mena, 47, a sandwich vendor in Lima. ``When the quake struck, I thought it would never end.''
Health Minister Carlos Vallejos said there were 15 confirmed deaths in southern Peru from the quake, but Civil Defense put the death toll at 22, without giving a location.
Cable station Canal N reported that the quake had killed 17 people and injured 70 in the city of Ica 165 miles (265 kilometers) southeast of Lima. The report said a church had collapsed but it was not clear if that was the cause of all the victims.
Garcia ordered all police personnel to the streets of Lima to keep order. He said he was sending three Cabinet members, including the health minister, to the coastal town of Chincha and Ica, where news reports said the quake hit hardest.
He said public schools will be closed tomorrow because the buildings may be unsafe.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of Lima at a depth of about 25 miles (41 kilometers). Six strong aftershocks ranging from magnitudes of 5.0 to 5.9 were felt afterward, the USGS said.
The quake struck at 6:40 p.m. local time (23:40 GMT). A news photographer said that homes had collapsed in the centre of Lima and that many people had fled into the streets for safety. The capital shook for more than a minute.
Callers to Radioprogramas, Peru's main news radio station, said parts of several cities in southern Peru had been hit with blackouts. Callers reported homes in poor neighborhoods in Chincha and Cerro Azul had collapsed.
The quake also knocked out telephone service and mobile phone service in the capital. Firefighters were called to put out a fire in a shopping center. State doctors called off a national strike that began on Wednesday to handle the emergency.
Police reported that large boulders shook loose from hills and were blocking the country's Central Highway east of Lima.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami warning for the coasts of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama. A tsunami watch was issued for the rest of Central America and Mexico and an advisory for Hawaii.
The centre canceled all the alerts after about two hours, but it said the quake had caused an estimated 10-inch tsunami near the epicentre
Authorities issued a tsunami warning for Latin America's Pacific coast but later canceled it when the wave measured only 20 to 30 centimeters (8-12 inches).
President Alan Garcia said the earthquake apparently had not caused a catastrophe.
"Thank you, God Almighty, these terrible quakes did not cause a high death toll like in other years,'' he said in a nationally televised address. He did not give a death toll.
Firefighters said lamp posts collapsed and windows shattered in Lima. Hundreds of workers were evacuated office buildings after the quake struck and remained outside, fearing more aftershocks.
``This is the strongest earthquake I've ever felt,'' said Maria Pilar Mena, 47, a sandwich vendor in Lima. ``When the quake struck, I thought it would never end.''
Health Minister Carlos Vallejos said there were 15 confirmed deaths in southern Peru from the quake, but Civil Defense put the death toll at 22, without giving a location.
Cable station Canal N reported that the quake had killed 17 people and injured 70 in the city of Ica 165 miles (265 kilometers) southeast of Lima. The report said a church had collapsed but it was not clear if that was the cause of all the victims.
Garcia ordered all police personnel to the streets of Lima to keep order. He said he was sending three Cabinet members, including the health minister, to the coastal town of Chincha and Ica, where news reports said the quake hit hardest.
He said public schools will be closed tomorrow because the buildings may be unsafe.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of Lima at a depth of about 25 miles (41 kilometers). Six strong aftershocks ranging from magnitudes of 5.0 to 5.9 were felt afterward, the USGS said.
The quake struck at 6:40 p.m. local time (23:40 GMT). A news photographer said that homes had collapsed in the centre of Lima and that many people had fled into the streets for safety. The capital shook for more than a minute.
Callers to Radioprogramas, Peru's main news radio station, said parts of several cities in southern Peru had been hit with blackouts. Callers reported homes in poor neighborhoods in Chincha and Cerro Azul had collapsed.
The quake also knocked out telephone service and mobile phone service in the capital. Firefighters were called to put out a fire in a shopping center. State doctors called off a national strike that began on Wednesday to handle the emergency.
Police reported that large boulders shook loose from hills and were blocking the country's Central Highway east of Lima.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami warning for the coasts of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama. A tsunami watch was issued for the rest of Central America and Mexico and an advisory for Hawaii.
The centre canceled all the alerts after about two hours, but it said the quake had caused an estimated 10-inch tsunami near the epicentre