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Last Updated: Friday, 17 August 2007,
11:31 GMT 12:31 UK

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Search for Peru quake survivors

Tens of thousands of people have lost their
homes

Rescuers
have been working through the night trying to find survivors of the
devastating earthquake that hit Peru's central coast.

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.

The death toll from Wednesday's 8.0-magnitude quake has risen
above 500, according to Peru's fire service.

A series of aftershocks have hit the affected areas, causing
panic.

The worst damage from the earthquake was in the coastal cities of
Ica and Pisco, south of the capital Lima.

See
map of the affected area

Tens of thousands of people have lost their homes, while power
supplies, telecommunications and road links have been severely
disrupted.

Hospitals and morgues have been overwhelmed, and the bodies of
many victims that have been recovered from the rubble are lying on
the streets.

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."

'A miracle'

In Pisco, firefighters, police officers, soldiers and volunteers
worked under floodlights to dig through the ruins of the church in
the main square.

I never experienced such a long and
strong earthquake in Peru. It felt like it would never end

Marcia, Lima

Supplies
short in quake town

Eyewitness
accounts

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".

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.

The BBC's Luis del Valle, in Pisco, says people are in shock and
local civil defence officials have acknowledged they have been
overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster.

The mayor of Ica, Mariano Nacimento, told the BBC's Spanish
Americas service that his town was desperately in need of clean
water, medicine and tents.

The authorities are also trying to reach remote villages and
hamlets in the region, from where there has so far been no news.

Relief effort

The government said helicopters and planes were taking emergency
aid to affected areas, and injured people are being airlifted out.

How
earthquakes happen

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.

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER ZONE, AND TECTONIC PLATES

Earthquake struck on Wednesday at 1841 local
time

The 8.0-magnitude earthquake was centred just
off the coast of Peru

Two tectonic plates clash at this region, the
Nazca plate and the South American plate

There is about 7-8cm (3in) movement between
the plates a year

Return
to story

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What are
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VIDEO AND AUDIO NEWS
Rescuers
try to search the rubble

SEE ALSO

Supplies
short in Peru quake town
17 Aug
07 |  Americas

In
pictures: Peru earthquake
16 Aug
07 |  In Pictures

Peru
quake: Eyewitness accounts
16 Aug
07 |  Have Your Say

Country
profile: Peru
12 May 07 |  Country
profiles

How
earthquakes happen
22 Feb 05 |
Science/Nature

RELATED INTERNET LINKS

Peruvian
government (in Spanish)

US Geological
Survey

Pacific
Tsunami Warning Centre

National
Institute of Civil Defence

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external
internet sites

FROM OTHER NEWS SITES

Denver
Post Peru quake toll surpasses 500 - 1 hr
ago

SABC Peru
earthquake kills 450: bodies pile up - 3 hrs
ago

ABC
Online Peru quake aftershocks rattle survivors,
rescuers - 6 hrs ago

The
Hindu Help rolls in as death toll rises to 450 in
Peru quake - 8 hrs ago

Globe
and Mail* Peru quake death toll tops
500 - 9 hrs ago

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* Requires registration

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