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CNN Sunday Morning

At Least 46 Dead After Earthquake in Peru

Aired June 24, 2001 - 10:02   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we begin this hour in Peru, where officials are assessing the damage from yesterday's massive quake. The 7.9 tumbler hit mid-afternoon along the southern coast. At least 46 people were killed.

We get more now from CNN's Claudia Cisneros in Lima.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLAUDIA CISNEROS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's said to be the worst earthquake in over 30 years in Peru. With a magnitude of 7.9, the quake struck southern Peru from Lima to the border with Chile at 3:33 local time Saturday afternoon.

The waves were felt as far as Chile and Bolivia. A state of emergency was declared in the Peruvian cities of Moquegua, Arequipa, and Tacna, some 1,300 kilometers south of Lima reportedly hit the worst with the numbers of killed and injured still rising.

Many stood outside their collapsed homes waiting for assistance, afraid of the many aftershocks that followed throughout the night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Everyone is OK. I live here with my family.

CISNEROS: In Arequipa, Peru's second city, much of its fine colonial architecture was damaged, like the tower of the main cathedral that collapsed.

MAYOR MANUEL GUILLEN, AREQUIPA, PERU (through translator): Many homes resulted with extreme damage and in the historic center the heavier damage is in the temples and our cathedral.

CISNEROS: Tattered rubble blocks some of the streets, but it is in the rural areas surrounding the main cities where people search throughout the rubble for survivors, especially in small towns with mud adobe houses that have reportedly collapsed by 80 percent.

Interim President Valentine Paniagua flew to the disaster area to personally assess the damage and direct the aid. He confirmed some international help has been offered, hence medicines, beds and blankets were deployed to the emergency zone to accommodate the homeless. Elected President Alejandro Toledo, to take over next July, canceled his visit to the U.S. and confirmed he was heading Sunday morning to the damaged area.

Claudia Cisneros for CNN, Lima, Peru.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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