Looters Stop Aid Reaching Peru Earthquake Survivors

PERU’S president yesterday vowed to rebuild the quake-shattered city of Pisco as his government struggled to stem looting in the wake of the disaster.

Hope diminished for rescuers searching the mountains of rubble as families affected by the quake huddled in makeshift shelters.

President Alan Garcia said the government was preparing plans to rebuild the port city, which lost 85% of its houses to Wednesday’s magnitude-8 quake, in which at least 540 people died.

He said the government would provide basic two-bed-roomed homes that could potentially be expanded by families.

Yesterday, military trucks carrying supplies were swarmed by dozens of people in the city and survivors fought over cans of tuna and cartons of milk.

In a football stadium, more than 500 people lined up at a single truck passing out packets of crackers, sweets and toilet paper.

Mr Garcia vowed to reestablish order in the city “regardless of what it costs”.

“Whoever tries to cause a disturbance is going to face the consequences,” he said, as the government deployed an additional 1,000 soldiers to the area.

Authorities set up food distribution points in Pisco, but very little aid seemed to be arriving to the estimated 80,000 people affected by the quake. Hopes of finding more survivors have diminished. At least 1,500 people were injured and Mr Garcia said at least 80,000 people had suffered the quake’s impact through the loss of loved ones or destroyed or damaged homes.

The earthquake’s destruction was centred in Peru’s southern desert, the oasis city of Ica and Pisco, about 125 miles south-east of Lima.

It also damaged some of the country’s natural wonders.

In the Paracas National Reserve, a wildlife sanctuary on the coast near Pisco, a rock monument known as “The Cathedral” was severely damaged when a chunk chipped off during the quake.

(c) 2007 The Journal – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.