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CNN Live At Daybreak

Nine Dead After Car Bomb Explodes in Lima, Peru

Aired March 21, 2002 - 05:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo is guaranteeing the safety of President Bush when he visits Lima this weekend. That comment follows a car bomb attack near the U.S. Embassy late last night. The car bomb exploded in a shopping center parking lot in the Peruvian capital of Lima. Officials say at least nine are dead, at least 25 others hurt. The explosion left big holes in the street and damaged a bank building. The military has now been put on high alert.

And for more on this car bombing, we want to go to reporter Claudia Cisneros, who's joining us on the phone from Lima -- good morning, Claudia.

What's the scene like now?

CLAUDIA CISNEROS, CNN CORRESPONDENT:. Good morning, Carol.

Well...

(AUDIO GAP)

Hello, can you hear me?

COSTELLO:. I can hear you now. Repeat?

CISNEROS:. Yes. I was telling you, on the scene authorities are picking up pieces of the debris left by this car bomb that exploded shortly after 11:00 local time on Wednesday in the parking lot of the shopping center located some 150 feet away from the U.S. Embassy wall. No word so far on the authors of this attack, although Interior Minister Fernando Rospigliosi has said that no one can be ruled out nor national, local or international terrorism.

The death toll so far, nine people dead, officially, 25 at least injured. Also, President Alejandro Toledo, who was at an, on an official visit to Mexico, he announced that he was cutting short his trip and returning today, Thursday, to Peru while his cabinet met in an emergency meeting tonight and announced that security and surveillance will be beefed up all over the country, especially also in Lima, in the capital, and all of the areas will be secured. And they also made a request to civilians that were planning to protest during the visit of President Bush that is scheduled for this coming Saturday not to do so. They will meet up with the government ministers this morning in order to determine if they will or will not continue to protest. The ministers say that they could be used by terrorists to infiltrate or manipulate them -- Carol.

COSTELLO:. Thank you very much for that live report by phone this morning.

Again, the U.S. Embassy was not damaged in this attack. It actually, the car with the bomb was across the street and the embassy is heavily fortified. There were other bomb attacks in Peru. Last Wednesday a bomb at a Spanish owned bank exploded and on Tuesday a grenade was tossed from a moving car. But as far as we know, President Bush still plans on visiting Lima, Peru on Saturday.

Also on the subject of Latin America, the Bush administration will compensate a family whose missionary plane was shot down in Peru. Veronica Bowers and her infant daughter were killed. Her husband Jim was injured. The incident happened 11 months ago during a joint U.S.- Peruvian drug interdiction program. A U.S.-Peruvian statement says both Gaza Strip deeply regret this tragic event and it should never have happened. The U.S. and Peru stopped the drug interception program after this accident.

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