A powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 magnitude which hit
Peru's southern
coast Wednesday evening has killed at least 450 people and injured
1,500 others, a senior UN official in charge of humanitarian
affairs said on Thursday.
Quoting Peruvian authorities, UN Assistant Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator
Margareta Wahlstrom told reporters that "so far 450 deaths counted,
and injured about 1,500."
"We got that figure from the National Disaster Management
Authority in Peru," she said, adding that the quake has also
destroyed almost 400 houses and cut down power and communications
in some areas.
Wahlstrom said the UN is dispatching a disaster assessment
teamto the quake area and another UN search and rescue team is on
standby if needed.
The world body has accumulated some US$1 million from several UN
agencies to help the quake victims, she added.
Earlier, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the world body is in close
contact with the government of Peru and "stands ready to support
relief efforts with measures including the release of emergency
funds and the deployment of a team of disaster assessment and
coordination experts."
(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2007)
